Alleged pork barrel queen Janet Lim-Napoles is planning to return P2 billion she has stolen from the government, apparently to evade prosecution from a plunder case.
Her lawyer says the amount is her share of the proceeds of the ghost projects or deliveries from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers.
Restitution of stolen money or property doesn’t erase the crime of theft.
Even if she doesn’t return the money, it will be confiscated from her by the government, anyway, when she is convicted.
The government should not treat her with mercy even with her offer to return the stolen money.
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Stealing is a serious mistake because the one committing it had plenty of time to think about its moral or legal consequences.
Compared to one who killed another person, for example, a thief is a worse offender.
The killer could have been driven by the spur of the moment in taking another person’s life; for example, he blacked out upon seeing his wife sharing intimacies with another man.
But the thief thought out his deed before doing it. Poverty or hunger is not an excuse for committing theft.
That’s why many employers or companies would prefer to hire a person convicted of homicide over one who was convicted of theft.
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Stealing for whatever reason is bad enough.
But stealing from the poor is much worse.
Janet Lim-Napoles and the lawmakers who conspired with her in stealing government money intended for their poor constituents committed a grievous crime.
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Anthony Sabangan, a “buko” (young coconut) vendor, was killed when his motorcycle fell into a cut on the road on the MacArthur Highway in Meycauayan, Bulacan province on Sunday.
The accident happened between 12 midnight and 1 a.m.
Seven other motorcycle riders met the same accident between 12 midnight and early morning of Sunday.
The unfilled portion under construction had no signs warning drivers of oncoming vehicles about the road situation.
Region III Director Antonio Molano Jr. of the Department of Public Works and Highways should be held liable for Sabangan’s death and injuries to 11 others.