Thursday, October 30, 2008 Editorials: Circus in Jocjoc’s return
THE arrival of former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante Tuesday night did, as expected, turn into a circus, with reporters and cameramen jostling with a crowd that included law enforcers, protesters, lawyers and the Senate sergeant-at-arms.
It was a circus that Malacańang tried to downplay for obvious reasons, with President Arroyo pretending to do her usual routine without mentioning Jocjoc even once.
The political opposition and the usual Arroyo critics, dormant for months and quarreling among each other in the Senate, seem reinvigorated and are back in the limelight.
Tug-of-war
Judging from the conflicting interests that surfaced during Bolante’s return, plus the media fuss and public attention it generated, the circus is not expected to wind down so soon.
The maneuvering, legal, etc., will continue after the initial “skirmish” that saw the Senate sergeant-at-arms effecting an arrest warrant and Bolante going instead to the hospital—there to wait for the next evasive move.
Jocjoc’s lawyers have gone to the Supreme Court to fend off the Senate’s attempt to arrest him using an old warrant, while the Office of the Ombudsman has started initiating moves that would prevent the Senate from taking jurisdiction over Jocjoc.
The first major issue needing resolution in Bolante’s case is therefore whether he can be forced to face a Senate probe that could turn out to be more of a circus than what happened Tuesday.
Truth
Malacańang may continue to downplay the Bolante issue and pretend it would not interfere and prevent him from appearing in the Senate, but it is obvious that its interest would be better served if Bolante is pried away from that legislative body.
The bottom line in all these, however, and which is of more interest to the public, getting to the bottom of the mess that Bolante is accused of being involved in: the fertilizer fund scam.
The problem is that with the prevailing political environment, this might not be achieved.
A Senate populated by ambitious presidentiables and an anti-graft office that many believe is unreliable may not be able to ensure the truth will surface.
Still, having Bolante back is an improvement---at least it reopens interest in the issue and resurrects a dying probe.
