Jimenez Unmasked

By Rod P. Kapunan (Tribune)

It used to be the habit of Mario Crespo a.k.a. Mark Jimenez to rub elbows with the tycoons and prominent politicians in Washington, D.C. To be seen rubbing elbows with the powerful in the US was what he wanted people to see him as powerful, with his sweet talk of a big contract was the acme in his career as a professional influence peddler. It was the ultimate, for only a few could rise above the pedestal of that tag as a plain business hustler. Many considered him as one Pinoy who had carved a niche in having access with the Democratic Party VIPs, including then US President Bill Clinton.

But that suddenly crumbled when US authorities started becoming suspicious of him. When they started digging, they rightly stumbled on the picture that behind the philanthropist image he publicly built was a professional wheeler-dealer. Jimenez violated the sensitive US laws on campaign fund donations to candidates he could put into his pocket because of the network of business he organized, and he was also shortchanging the US government by not paying taxes.

When luck ran out, Jimenez had to hastily pack up until he ended up in the country where he thought people were gullible. As an influence peddler, he never allowed himself to slide down to anonymity. He taunted the US authorities by becoming a high profile official, even insinuating he was a victim of intrigue in the inner circle he happily rotated before his ignominious downfall. In short, he managed to project himself as a victim of injustice; that he was being hounded for being a “good Samaritan” without telling the Filipino people he was a tax dodger. He even steered the issue that to ship him back to the lion’s den would result in a public outcry as though he was a hero and a martyr.

While fighting to ward off the long arm of the US laws, slowly he inched his way into the inner circle of Philippine politics. He again managed to build an image of a big-time business broker who could arrange multi-billion transactions, a shady specialization.He was hailed as a financial whiz kid for having consummated the sale of some big companies raking in millions of pesos for him. He ran for Congress in Manila and handily won because he thought money was all that was needed to translate wealth to power. In short, he swaggered around with the country’s top politicians and big shots as if to sneer at the US government that wanted him back.

But behind that image, Jimenez was a cunning operator. He treated all whom he dealt with, especially people in government, as one that has its rightful cash equivalent. Thus, when Estrada was elected, Jimenez thought of it as his crowning glory. He then broached the anomalous Impsa project. Because he has no scruples about bribery, he casually whispered the amount of bribe. Alas, he got the first shock because Estrada did not only turn it down but also disapproved the project for being wholly disadvantageous to the government. The President he underestimated turned out to be honorable and brave enough to turn down the $14-million bribe offer.

Despite the unexpected setback, Jimenez persisted, thinking it would not take time to get what he wanted. Rightly enough barely four days after Mrs. Arroyo ascended to power, the Impsa project was approved. Shrewd as ever, his bribe offer was alleged to have significantly been reduced. The Impsa scandal hogged the headlines where it was said his new business partner, then Justice Secretary Nani Perez received $2 million for facilitating the Impsa approval and the $7 million was allegedly given to top Malacañang officials, while the rest was kept, but for a police superintendent close to the Arroyo couple being given a $10,000 “balato” for escorting Nani and his relative conduit to Hong Kong.

When the new overlords learned of the amount sidelined by Jimenez for himself, his relationship with the new regime suddenly soured. The Arroyo government had all the reasons to teach Jimenez a lesson.

First, it is not good for him to shortchange his master. Second, the Arroyo government could sense he might spill the beans, and that it would be best to throw him out quickly. Third, the hustler failed to anticipate that he was nothing, and sending the morose wheeler-dealer back handcuffed and escorted by FBI agents was the lackey’s way to reaffirm her loyalty to the US.

Instead of getting bitter at the person who surrendered him, he began to lambaste Estrada. The smooth operator has lost his balance because he wanted to testify on the Velarde account without realizing he has only one audience — the Ilocos Sur kingpin. He had to back out because it would not get him anywhere. People are not interested in what he says but on what happened to him. Whatever he says would only benefit the one who gave the authority for the US to pluck him out of the country and earn him the tag of an ex-convict.

So what we see today is the once towering Jimenez submitting himself meekly to the whims of a self-confessed gambling lord, a demonstrably corrupt government official, and a publicly known killer. Their being seen seated side-by-side watching the trial of Estrada affirmed the old adage that birds of the same feather flock together.