Former first lady Imelda Marcos trended on Twitter after an 80-year-old man from Pangasinan was arrested for allegedly stealing 10 kilos of mangoes.
Leonardo Flores or “Lolo Narding,” an 80-year-old resident of Asingan, Pangasinan was placed under police custody after he was accused of stealing mangoes from a neighbor’s tree. Flores was released temporarily after posting bail worth P6,000 from donations he received.
Netizens can’t help but compare Flores’s fate to that of Imelda who remains free despite being convicted in 2018 for seven counts of graft. Netizens noted how unfair the country’s justice system is as it seemingly favors the rich.
“Imelda Marcos was convicted guilty of 7 counts of graft in 2018 but has never seen a day in jail. She was sentenced to a minimum of 42 years in prison but was deemed ‘too old’ to keep behind bars. Get lost with your selective justice. This is not fair at all,” a Twitter user lamented.
“Reactionary justice is when the likes of Lolo Narding were unjustly persecuted and punished while the likes of Imelda Marcos are free and immune to any criminal charges. Reactionary justice is in favor of the rich and oligarchs. Revolutionary justice is its antithesis,” another Twitter user posted.
“How about Imelda Marcos who was convicted of graft? $200M vs 10 KG of mangoes. Imagine how unfair, how anti-poor, the justice system we have,” other Twitter user said.
The Sandiganbayan fifth division found Imelda guilty of seven counts of graft in 2018. She was sentenced to imprisonment of six to 11 years for each count.
However, despite the warrant from the Sandiganbayan, Imelda was not arrested.
Former Philippine National Police chief and retired police Gen. Oscar Albayalde once said that they did not arrest Imelda due to her age and health. She was 89 at that time. Ronald Espartinez