ANYBODY would for sure shake in his boots if he got invited to a hearing at the Senate most especially if it had anything to do with drugs.
Maricel Soriano did feel exactly just that when she showed up May 7 at the probe presided over by Senator Bato de la Rosa, chairman of the Public Order and Dangerous Drugs committee.
The hearing was in connection with the veteran actress' alleged involvement in the issue on drugs, with her name on the list of PDEA in its target operation in March 2012. The document likewise implicated the President.
Escorted by fellow actor-now Senator Robin Padilla garbed in modern barong Tagalog, Maricel sashayed toward the hearing venue. Calm, collected and composed yet visibly uncomfortable.
True enough, the 59-year-old actress admitted she was scared as she was anxious: "Hindi ko kasi alam kung bakit ako naroon (I didn't know why I was there in the first place)."
It was de la Rosa who maneuvered all the asking. In fairness, he exhibited a great deal of deference with his line of questioning, enough for Maricel to shake off her anxiety and feel a bit relaxed.
I would assume that the actress must have been debriefed about her Senate appearance, more so as far as answering the questions was concerned "the isang tanong-isang sagot way."
De la Rosa's successive questions were not meant to rattle Maricel, nor were designed to make the actress reveal much more than she could. In her best element, Maricel acquitted herself well.
She churned out clear answers to basic questions: no stuttering, no dead air, no histrionics.
Maricel sounded she wasn't lying through her teeth (after all, she took an oath even before the hearing began). Yes, she admitted to having owned the much-vaunted unit 46-C at the Rizal Tower in Rockwell but sold it the same year.
While she couldn't recall which month the condo unit sale was consummated, Maricel promised to rummage through her files and would notify the committee as soon as she got hold of the deed of sale in a heartbeat.
The solon went on to touch a separate case in which Maricel also figured, this time with her former helpers in June 2011.
On the surface, it may seem a total departure from the main case but the house workers swore they were beaten up and detained arising from the actress' alleged cocaine use.
Truth be told, the two workers carted away what appeared to be Maricel's valuables albeit unspecified: "They stole something from me."
A case already resolved a year after, Maricel quashed her accusers' claim on the basis of her physical limitation:"Paano ko po sila magagawang bugbugin, eh, dalawa sila?" (How could I possibly beat them up single-handedly?)
It was also found out that Maricel could not have locked them up, as there existed no padlock in the room they both stayed.
In addition, the helpers' room had a separate exit door that their movement went unnoticed coming in and going out of the unit.
This was corroborated in the layout shown on the radio program of not yet then-Senator Mon Tulfo which they sought help from.
While Maricel had been able to clear the skies, so to speak, will a series of Senate hearings involving other entertainment luminaries ensue?
Until a famed celebrity is positively linked to the PDEA drug list, do we expect this exercise to perpetuate?
Or is there no seeming end to all this? Apparently, the fundamental question here is — a PDEA case under the Aquino administration, why was it left to drag on until Duterte's term characterized by its fierce war on drugs at that?
Pray tell me.
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