Divine Retribution

The doctors say that Celso requires a total of 27 radiotherapy sessions, and therefore would need more than 20 days stay in St. Luke's hospital (this hospital has gained a reputation as the sanctuary of fugitives and scammers and should be called St. Locos). Celso is allegedly suffering from diabetes and hypertension, diseases that in combination with a cancer would spell a short short life for the patient. Of course, the question is: Does he really have cancer? I mean cancer of the throat because we already know that he has cancer of morals, aside from having the diseases of greed and lust.

In this age of photoshop, it is very easy to be skeptical of pictures. All those pics of Celso with tubes in his trachea and stomach are met with doubt, notwithstanding the pronouncements of his doctors and the PNP physician. However, we believe that Celso may actually have cancer, considering that we have noted that malefactors and scoundrels have been felled by dread diseases. Recall that the late SEC commissioner Jesus Martinez, accused of graft and protecting Celso, died of cancer. Before that, FG had to be operated for aortic aneurysm. And just recently, PGMA reportedly had to undergo an operation to remove cysts from her breast/s. Malacanang had taken great pains to announce that the tumors were benign, but if we are to be consistent with our theory... What about JocJoc? Well, if our theory of divine retribution will hold true to form, it is just a matter of time.

Celso is a Negotiable Criminal

Legacy bank-issued CTDs are definitely non-negotiable instruments but Celso's detention in a prison cell is obviously negotiable. All that Celso had to do was get himself admitted in St. Luke's hospital (which would be easy enough), get diagnosed as one with a dread disease, and then undergo medical treatment. And that is what Celso did: if we are to believe news reports, he was a patient in St. Luke's, was undergoing chemotherapy, and then inexplicably obtained medical clearance from his doctor to leave the hospital.

What was so important for Celso to leave the confines of the hospital and go to Sto. Domingo to assume his duties as mayor? Would someone undergoing treatment for cancer risk the long travel from metro manila to Sto. Domingo, a town in Bicol to report to the municipal office? I don't think so... Celso had to go to that town to do something. Hide more documents? Retrieve cash from his safe to pay off his protectors? Well, it must have been important, to risk his health and expose him to arrest. And if we believe again the news reports, Celso collapsed while in town, and had to be returned to St. Luke's.

Pictures show Celso with tubes in his throat and stomach, to underpin his lawyer's claim that though a warrant of arrest has been served to him, he cannot be moved from the hospital. Then a PNP doctor is brought in, and confirms that Celso has to stay put in the hospital to undergo 20 sessions of radiotherapy. Celso must have brought back cash from his house in Sto. Domingo and dispensed them freely, and obviously, successfully. Of course, Celso is not used to giving out cash: he was used to issuing CTDs that were not actually funded. Now that his banks are closed, and his credibility shot, he has to pay cash to get his way.

However, thinking about it, we would gladly see Celso in the hospital getting all the treatments to get him healthy, fit enough to serve his sentence in jail. Death would be too easy for this criminal, but the question is: would our (flawed) criminal justice system dish out the long prison sentence that Celso deserves? Rethinking, I guess death is a surer sentence.