EDITORIAL - When will this be over?

Officials of the National Bureau of Investigation are in the United States to bring back Charlie "Atong" Ang, former gambling buddy and gaming consultant of deposed President Joseph Estrada. Ang, who is being extradited by the United States, is wanted in Manila in connection with the plunder case filed against Estrada and his son, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. Government prosecutors intend to use Ang as a state witness to pin down the former president and his son on accusations that they received gambling payoffs.

This plunder case is a prime example of how official resolve to stamp out corruption can quickly unravel in this country. Estrada was ousted on corruption charges, and became the first former Philippine president to be arrested and held without bail for a capital offense. His unprecedented prosecution was supposed to be a showcase of a new resolve in this country to eradicate corruption starting at the top.

That prosecution is now on its fifth year with no resolution in sight. Estrada’s son and co-accused is out on bail and sitting in the Senate, with the power to dispense millions of pesos in taxpayers’ money allocated as his pork barrel. Meanwhile, from the sprawling Tanay resthouse where the deposed president is detained upon his own request, Estrada is flexing his political muscle anew and picking out his lineup for the Senate race in 2007.

Will Atong Ang cut a deal and testify? And will his testimony speed up the resolution of the plunder case? This country is notorious for the glacial pace of justice and the failure to punish those accused of large-scale corruption. Unlike Estrada, the heirs of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos have never been arrested or convicted of any of the numerous graft charges filed against them. Marcos’ widow and children are rehabilitated and remain a political power in their family’s bailiwick.

Instead of becoming a showcase, the trial of Estrada has turned into a national embarrassment. Perhaps with the return of Atong Ang, the public may finally see the resolution of this plunder case.