Napoles and the American Gangster

Now that Napoles is in the custody of the Philippine government, P-noy has an ace in his sleeves to clean house, particularly the Lower House and the Upper House (Senate) of Congress. Of course, this assumes her former cohorts (now her worst enemies) in Congress don't assassinate her first.

I was not exactly comforted when Secretary Lacierda, during a live press briefing this morning, informed the media and the public at large that the President himself inspected the holding area in which Napoles would be secured. Read between the lines. The President has no confidence in the overall integrity of the system to secure Napoles, which includes the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine National Police (PNP), among other government agencies. I sure hope DILG Secretary Mar Roxas and PNP Chief Purisima assign their most trusted adjutants to keep Napoles alive and talking.

In the movie, "American Gangster", which was based on the true-to-life criminal exploits of Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington), incorruptible detective Richie Roberts (played by Russell Crowe) gave Lucas a chance at a shorter jail sentence if he (Lucas) aided his (Roberts) investigation. Lucas initially offered to bribe Roberts but eventually provided names of dirty cops in the New York Police Department (NYPD), out of respect for Roberts' incorruptibility. In the end, three quarters of the New York Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) were arrested and convicted. Moreover, after having been condemned and sentenced to 22 years of prison (apparently to Lucas' satisfaction), Lucas provided additional evidence that led to more than one-hundred drug-related convictions.

If Napoles knows what's good for her, she should spill the beans quickly and thoroughly before her new found enemies in Congress have a chance to silence her. It would not be surprising at all if, like the New York DEA in the case of Lucas, three quarters of the Philippine Congress (Lower House and the Senate) would be arrested and convicted due to the disclosures of Napoles. The mandate of P-noy and his team is clear. Clean house then transform house.

After the purge, abolishing the Philippine Congress would be a great start! "Let's just abolish Congress then." We, the people, concur!