EDITORIAL - Reward for Manero

What do you get for killing a priest, eating his brain and escaping from jail? A smile and a handshake from the President of the Philippines, who even tells you in your dialect, "Welcome back." Not even the mother of Abu Sayyaf walk-in hostage Jeffrey Schilling was so lucky.

Maybe President Arroyo thought she was once again welcoming back Army Maj. Noel Buan, or meeting communist leader Luis Jalandoni. Perhaps she mistook Norberto Manero, murderer of Italian priest Tullio Favali, for a rebel returnee. Maybe she got a bit confused, thinking she was stumping for administration candidates, what with a politician like Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza by her side, escorting Manero in Zamboanga City. Or perhaps she’s not getting along with her spokesman Renato Corona, who said the other day that the President did not intend to meet with Manero, the escape artist.

The handshake could have been force of habit, given that we’re in the thick of the campaign season. After a long day of pressing the flesh, politicians have been known to shake the hands even of their spouses and bodyguards. But whose brilliant idea was it to even set up a meeting between the President of the Philippines and a convicted murderer who should have been handcuffed and thrown into solitary for his latest escape? Let’s hope it was not one of Manero’s demands – he has done enough to redefine the meaning of "prisoner" in this country. Now every escapee who surrenders or is recaptured will demand a similar photo opportunity with the President, with full media coverage.

With such VIP treatment from the highest official of the land, how can we expect Manero not to enjoy special privileges as a prisoner? Yesterday he was returned to the Davao Penal Colony, from where he escaped in 1992. Don’t blame us for wondering if Manero will soon leave prison again, pet horse in tow, to join the summer fiestas in Davao. Next thing we know, he will be running for public office. In this country where convicted rapists, corrupt politicians and clowns get elected to high office, Manero has a good chance. For his campaign and fund-raising, he can use his photo with President Arroyo.