Which Bread? (The Boy Who Cried Pork Part 3)

[Read “The Boy Who Cried Pork” Part 1 | Part 2]

Image credit

Bread. Other than the literal flour-water-yeast food, it’s also a slang word for money. Making bread could also mean making money or earning a living. 

HAPPIER DAYS. Ruby Tuason (right) with Janet Lim-Napoles (middle), the alleged pork barrel scam queen. Image credit

This imagery came to mind when Senator Jinggoy Estrada explained that “Ruby Tuason brought him hot food, not cold cash” (Inquirer.Net).

Tuason was a close friend of the Estrada family. She confessed that she personally handed over the dough, that is, kickbacks from the pork barrel scam to the senator. 

PICTURE TIME. The Napoles couple attend a party with the Estradas. Caption and image credit

She also claimed that “she used the side entrance of the Senate building, which is reserved only for senators, to evade inspection.” (GMA News Online)

Ruby Tuason takes her oath at the Office of the Ombudsman. Caption and image credit

Estrada vehemently accused her of lying. “Let me stress that no money or kickback was ever delivered to me by Mrs. Tuason in my residence or in my Senate office or in any other venue and at any time.” (Inquirer) Boasting that he has nothing to hide, Estrada even asked the Senate to release all the CCTV footages of Tuason’s visits.

Sadly, according to the Senate sergeant-at-arms Jose Balajadia Jr., “all closed circuit television footage showing potential state witness Ruby Tuason’s visits to the Senate building have already been deleted.” (GMA) She allegedly visited Estrada in the Senate at least twice in 2008. However, from 2002 to 2010, the Senate used fragile VHS tapes for recording which they just kept for 30 days. The Senate security only went digital in 2011. So much for the bravado!

But, Estrada apparently could not hide the fact that she really delivered bread to him. He admitted that “he asked members of his staff to meet Tuason at the basement parking area of the Senate… because of the amount of food she brought to the office. ‘She brings two trays of sandwiches.’” (Inquirer) Tuason, on the other hand, denied “that she delivered snacks to his office, and not money.” (GMA)

SNACKS, NOT STASH. Senator Jinggoy Estrada claimed that “Tuason brought him hot food, not cold cash.” Image credit

It appears that he was only trying to punch holes in her testimony. But, without the CCTV footages, he has no puncher to punch holes with. The fact remains that she actually went to his office. As to what kind of bread, I feel the public is more inclined to believe that it’s the slang and not the snack. 

In his hard-hitting “There’s the Rub” opinion column, Inquirer columnist Conrado de Quiros labeled Estrada desperate.

This time around he has been reduced to defending himself, he has no one to redirect or distract the public’s attention toward other than Tuason herself. … All Jinggoy has succeeded in doing this time around is make himself look like a husband who has been caught by his wife in bed with another woman but has adopted a policy of denying it to death. His explanation that Tuason was in fact bringing him trays of crisp sandwiches in lieu of crisp peso bills—which is bound to launch a thousand text jokes—sounds not unlike the husband saying, ‘I tripped on my way to bed and landed on top of her—how could I have known anybody would be there?’ … He’s fallen on quicksand, and the more he thrashes about, the faster he sinks.

I think somebody should remind our dear senator that man does not live on bread alone.

[Read “The Boy Who Cried Pork” Part 1 | Part 2]