Operation ‘Balik-loob’

From Ellen Tordesillas:

WILFREDO "Boy" Mayor, in his appearance in ANC’s "Strictly Politics" last Friday, said something that made a lot of sense.

Mayor, who used to be a jueteng operator, said it was Gloria Arroyo’s announcement that she was determined to eliminate jueteng that encouraged him to come out and join the crusade against the illegal numbers game led by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz.

"Kaya wala sa isip ko na magiging kalaban ng Malacañang. Akala ko nga papanigan pa nila ako dahil gusto kung tumulong para maintindihan nila ang palakad ng jueteng. Ngayon kakasuhan pa ako." (I never thought that I would be considered by Malacañang as an enemy. I thought they would support me because I wanted to help so they would understand better the structure of jueteng. Now they are going to file charges against me.)

Mayor was with Sandra Cam, another witness in the Senate investigation of jueteng, in their first live studio interview. Before, due to security considerations, their interviews had to be taped. The interview took place a day after fellow witness, Richard Garcia, left their camp and apologized to Arroyo.

Cam and Mayor revealed that Malacañang has a project "Balik-loob" to entice witnesses to turn around. In exchange for lots of money and relocation to other countries, they are asked to recant the portions of their testimony implicating members of the Arroyo family. Garcia was their first catch.

But Garcia said he was not retracting his Senate testimony wherein he quoted a police general saying that he was giving jueteng payoffs to "Lion King" identified as presidential son Mikey Arroyo, a member of the House of Representatives. But the spin of Malacañang was that Garcia’s tearful press conference vindicated Arroyo.

Cam and Mayor said also members of their families are being subjected to a lot of pressure.

Mayor said he received a text message saying next week that a report from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation will be made public showing that the "Hello Garci" tapes are fake. The message asked, "Ano ang mangyayari sa iyo?" (What will happen to you?)

But Mayor raised a point that should worry everybody: "Ano ang nangyayari sa gobyerno na ito?" (What is happening to this government?)

What is happening to this government that has to buy off each and every witness to the crimes committed by Gloria Arroyo and members of her family? How long and for how much can they silence the people involved in the 2004 election fraud? How long and for how much can they silence the people involved in the wiretapping of Arroyo’s conversations with former Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano which exposed her hand in election cheating?

How long and for how much can they suppress the truth?

Minsan, nakaka-inggit rin ang mga witnesses, dahil kung witness ka sa mga baho at pandaraya ng mga Pidals, babayaran ka ng malaking halaga ng Arroyo admin para tumahimik.

Pero ang delikado ay kung honest ka at hindi mo tinanggap yung bribe money nila -- baka papatayin ka nila o baka ma "soft touch" ang pamilya mo.