CATAYNA, SHAINA KARRYL B.

12 STEM- FE DEL MUNDO

IMELDA MARCOS’ GRAFT, NOT IMPRISONED: SHE IS OLD AND

WEAK

Looking through everything that we are receiving from the government really came from the taxes
the people pay up but little do we know that it was secretly taken by politicians. Many cases of
corruption by people in the government were really issued a final verdict. The law is the law, it
shouldn’t be followed with flexing its orders. What do I mean about that? I just want to justify that
whatever the situation, gender, health, and especially the person’s age, what is written in the authority
should be obeyed. One of the issues that are currently talked about in media is the graft case of the
former first lady and now Ilocos Norte 2nd District Representative, Imelda Marcos.

Mrs. Imelda Marcos was convicted by the Sandiganbayan for 7 counts of graft for illegally creating
and maintaining private foundations in Switzerland during the entire rule of her husband, the late
dictator, Ferdinand Marcos. The total amount that their illegal “entrepreneurial” private business
earnings were about P10.6 billion in today’s exchange rate. Beneficiaries were given up until now to
her children, Imee, Irene, and Bongbong Marcos. It took 26 long years to eventually sentenced her in
prison for 6 to 11 years. This was decided because neither she nor her lawyers showed up at the court
hearing. Actually, she was already convicted with that graft case in 1993, but the Supreme Court
overturned the anti-graft court's decision in 2003, saving her from a 12-year prison sentence.

On the contrary, the arrest order for her is objected by the PNP (Philippine National Police) Chief
Director, General Oscar Albayalde. His statement was, "May edad na kasi (she is already elderly). We
have to take into consideration the edad, the age.” Former Senator Rene Saguisag also
believes Marcos should not be put to jail considering her old age. A debate was really triggered to the
netizens about his argument for Imelda’s imprisonment considering her age. Admittedly, we are all
humans, elders and the ones with poor health needs a humanitarian consideration. Why would we
sentence them if they’re already weak? Still, as I said, the law is the law, the PNP, for me, are just
making excuses for the arrest. It is not just a “graft”! Why would anyone let that person escape from
what she did? That money was supposedly benefited by us. Humanitarian consideration? well, for
some it is favorable, but with regards in a billion-peso illegally earned money? I thoroughly disagree
because the police are going through holes for her to escape the consequences by them having
double standards on what they were told to do.

According to in another interview of Albayalde in DZMM, he said "Unang-una po siya naman ay

babae. Most of the time, kahit sino po, lalo na kung medyo may edad na, mga babae, hindi na po natin
naman kinakailangang pinoposasan, lalo na kung wala naman pong history of violence." Reflecting to
his statement, he was immaterial and his point was Marcos needs to be respected and not humiliated.
No history of violence? In fact, former Commission on Human Rights chief Loretta Rosales stated,
“She benefited from the massacres, tortures, enforced disappearances that Marcos inflicted on the
people protesting the regime's repression because they tried to silence us through armed violence and
coercion.”

If they say that old and health should be factors to be considered, what about the report of a
79-year old man detained in a cold prison cell for stealing a 36- peso worth of chocolates? This really
shows how biased and slow our justice system here in the Philippines. Imelda Marcos is ninety years
old, what’s the difference? The answer to that is the “social status” and the “power” of a person
possesses. Special treatments are automatically given to those who are like corrupt politicians. Age
has nothing to do with disqualifying a person with his/her punishment, they should have been spending
all their life in jail and die there for the conviction to be fulfilled.

Consequently, some people might ask, “What do we get in jailing Imelda Marcos?” We will surely
quench ourselves from our thirst for justice. But, in reality, justice is not justice anymore. For the
police, they're just supposed to either implement the law or to obey orders of the court. We all have to
admit that the law may be harsh but it is the law. Everyone should recognize that anyone is
accountable whether he/she is rich or poor, healthy or sick, young or old.