Editorial - Lapid's woes beyond that of wife

Pardon the expression, but Cebuanos have the right word to describe what happened to the wife of Senator Lito Lapid: “Nagbinugo-bogo.” The resort to Cebuano is because the loose English translation — not using the head — can never convey the precise context of what happened.

Mrs. Lapid got caught in the United States with 50,000 undeclared dollars on her person. That the rule requires anything above $10,000 to be declared made her liable for smuggling, and for which she has now been charged.

It is unconceivable for Mrs. Lapid not to be aware of the requirement. And even if she was, it is just as unconceivable that she really intended to smuggle the dollars into the U.S. Nobody flirts with disaster over $50,000. For a crime like smuggling, the amount is too paltry.

Aside from the disproportionate risk she was taking, it is also unconceivable for Mrs. Lapid to actually believe she can get away with it. Did she not know that security at airports have become very strict? “Nagbinugo-bogo lang gyud.”

But that is not the end of the story because her husband, Senator Lapid, has already asked for help from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and was assured of its positive assistance.

 The story does not end there because, as every Filipino knows by now, the Senate is in the midst of an impeachment trial involving Chief Justive Renato Corona. Senator Lapid thus sits as one of the senator-judges.

Now, Senator Lapid is a province-mate and perceived ally of former president Gloria Arroyo who is herself now detained and facing a host of charges. The impeachment of Corona and the charges against Arroyo are interrelated and part of one humongous political plot.

The question is — will not the position of Senator Lapid in the impeachment trial be compromised now that he has sought the help from an agency of the executive department whose head, President Aquino, is believed to be behind the plot against Corona and Arroyo?