We’re not in a position to question the charges. But there is no question a sinister political motive was behind the timing of the filing of charges against Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia precisely a day before she was to give her all important State of the Province Address.
The charges, warranted or not, could have been filed on any given day since the Ombudsman determined they needed to be filed with the Sandiganbayan. But they weren’t. They had to be filed on a most politically propitious day. And the Ombudsman is not beyond that.
In fact, as recent history would show, no less than President Aquino orchestrated moves to oust the previous Ombudsman for allegedly cozying up to his much-maligned predecessor Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. If you believe Aquino, then the Ombudsman can be used for certain purposes.
Even more recently, Aquino plucked a former Supreme Court justice from retirement to be his next Ombudsman, and who would then provide the crucial impetus leading to the ouster of the then sitting, and similarly much-maligned chief justice.
Yet Garcia was not the real target of the well-timed/ill-timed (depending on where you sit on the political fence) filing of charges. It only appeared to be so because her State of the Province Address provided the convenient cover to fire a broadside at the real targets.
Somebody with a big axe saw that Garcia’s guest list provided a most compelling reason to swing. Consider whose heads could potentially roll from “guilt by association”: Vice President Jejomar Binay, former president Joseph Estrada, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, to name some.
Had there been no big opposition targets on her guest list, it is doubtful if it did the charges any good to be filed exactly on the day they were. Despite senatorial longings, Garcia poses no real threat at this time to well-entrenched powers. But her guests certainly did.
The charges were timed so the news steals the thunder, not away from Garcia, but from the pesky political opposition now proving to be a thorn on the side of the administration. That an enemy of Garcia couldn’t help himself from leaking the news shows everything was in the works.
Timing the filing on the day before her address showed it was meant to hit two birds with one stone: Garcia as collateral damage, and the political opposition as the real targets. The ploy seems to be that a charge against Garcia is a charge against her friends as well.