Martin was already at Cardinal before the police came. Fine. Maybe he was sick. Remember Martin before all this? Big guy. Round face. Panda Martin. Look at him now. Half the Martin.

But his lawyers were already telling the court: If there’s a warrant, serve it here. At Cardinal.

Interesting. Usually you get arrested first. Then you figure out how not to go to jail.

These guys? Very early. Martin was already at the hospital. The lawyers, too. The request to keep Martin at the hospital was ready. Everybody was ready for the arrest except the jail cell.

But Bongbong got the mugshot. Very important. Everybody saw Orange Martin. “See? Cousin. Arrested.”

Martin shows the medical certificate. “See? Can’t go.”

Lots of diseases. Very serious names. One is unstable angina. Basically dangerous chest pain.

If that means moving Martin is dangerous, where is the doctor saying, “Do not move Martin”?

Four words. Doctors write things all day.

Because, right now, the doctor says Martin has all these illnesses. Then the lawyers add that Martin cannot be moved. Who said that? The doctor? No. The lawyers.

Because “Martin has heart disease” tells me that Martin needs a doctor. It does not tell me Martin needs Cardinal Santos. The heart knows the difference. Very classy heart.

And what exactly has to get better before Martin can go to jail? His sugar? Does his BP have to improve? His chances in court?

Jonvic stepped in. Very handsome man, by the way. Finally, a medical opinion we can trust. Jonvic says Cardinal? No! We have a hospital at Crame. And after that, Payatas.

Que horror!

Does Payatas even have a concierge? Valet? What do you mean the doors lock from the outside?

Bongbong has shown us he can arrest cousin Martin. Now show us that he can jail Martin. Because Bongbong has shown that Bongbong is on a roll. And Bongbong has less than two years to find out how high this scandal goes.

Right now, Bongbong says, “Find out what happened.” The government moves. People return calls.

Then 2028 comes. Bongbong calls. Hello? Nobody has to answer.

Worse, Sara Duterte could be sitting in his chair. Now who’s having a heart attack?

So if you’re Bongbong, and if there is anything, if there’s anything, when do you want to find it?

Now.

Because right now Bongbong gets to be the President who prosecuted his own men. You arrest Martin and everybody says: OK, Bongbong is serious. That’s a hell of a thing for one arrest to buy. Too big to call small fry. Just about as high as you can go without reaching the President.

That gives this scandal an appearance of an ending before 2028.

Sara can still find new evidence, open new investigations. But she would inherit a country that already watched Bongbong say: “We have investigated it. We charged them. We even arrested my cousin.”

And once the cases are in court, everybody gets to say: “It’s already before the Sandiganbayan.”

Beautiful sentence. Could last longer than the presidency.