THE news that the Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed the plunder complaint against former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and some former officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), in connection with the alleged misuse of P73.6 million of the agency’s Confidential and Intelligence Fund (CIF), should not be viewed as just another setback for the organized efforts of former president Benigno Aquino 3rd and his justice officials to imprison Arroyo for the crime of plunder and other offenses.

It should be even more taken as a sobering reminder for the nation that Republic Act (RA) 7080, or the “Anti-Plunder Law,” which is unique to the Philippines, is poorly crafted and notoriously difficult to enforce. The law needs to be either amended or junked.

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