WOW!: Of the 193 other countries in the world, the Philippines has extradition treaties only with seven. We also have extradition arrangements with Hong Kong, an administrative region of China.

Answers.com in the Internet lists these countries as having extradition treaties with the Philippines: Indonesia (1976), Australia (1988), Canada (1989), Switzerland (1989), Micronesia (1990) the United States (1994), and South Korea.

Under a new doctrine of the administration, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima – on direction of her boss President Noynoy Aquino — can arbitrarily stop a sick Filipino who has no case pending in court from seeking medical treatment in 186 (193 minus 7) countries without extradition treaties with the Philippines.

The policy is not only ridiculous, but also betrays a dangerous drift.

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BONE OF CONTENTION: There being no case pending in court against her, Rep. Gloria Arroyo had asked the Executive, particularly the Department of Justice, to allow her to travel to Singapore, Spain and Germany for medical consultations.

The former president, 64 years old last April 5, is suffering from what doctors call hypoparathyroidism and a rare metabolic bone mineral disorder. She needs tetracycline bone biopsy to check if the bones growing in her spine are healthy.

Her situation worsened after the titanium plate recently installed by surgery on her deteriorating spine was dislodged because the bones to which it was attached were found to be not growing normally. She had to undergo corrective surgery but the bone disorder remained.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona, a kidney and transplant specialist, looked at the patient and her chart at St. Luke’s Medical Center and concluded that her bone and hormonal disorder were not life-threatening. De Lima believed him without benefit of a second opinion.

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SUSPICION: In denying the request to seek medical treatment abroad, De Lima raised suspicion that the ailing congresswoman from Pampanga will not return to face charges that may be brought against her in court.

President Aquino has made a vow to see his immediate predecessor in jail before Christmas and the entire machinery of his administration has been mobilized to make sure this happens.

De Lima said it was suspicious that the former president wanted to go to countries that do not have extradition treaties with the Philippines.

(Britannica defines extradition as a “process by which one state, at the request of another, returns a person for trial for a crime punishable by the laws of the requesting state and committed outside the state of refuge.”)

The Aquino administration has no qualms denying a person’s constitutional right to travel on the basis of mere suspicions and speculation, and despite the fact that no charges have been filed in court against the person targeted?

Ms Arroyo has questioned before the Supreme Court the legality of Department Circular No. 41 on the issuance of Watch List and Hold Departure orders that De Lima invoked in barring travel by Ms Arroyo.

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CLEAR WINNER: And the winner is… Bob Arum, Top Rank promoter who has just collected millions for himself and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. He will earn more millions next year when the “Pacman” rumbles again with either Juan Manuel Marquez or Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Congressman Manny Pacquiao failed to knock out Marquez – as his trainer Freddie Roach had prophesied — in their third collision last Sunday in Las Vegas.

Sneaking in Pacquiao through a decision made business sense. The astute Arum was already thinking of the followup bout while the MGM Grand arena seats of the Pacquiao-Marquez duel were still being sold.

Had Pacquiao punched the daylights out of the Mexican “Dinamita,” six years his senior at 38, he would have set back by several million dollars Arum’s grand financial scheme.20

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LURING MAYWEATHER: A knockout, or even just a convincing severe beating, would have put in serious doubt Marquez’s lining up a viable rematch. A definitive defeat of the Mexican would have been a business-downer for Arum and associates.

Also, a Marquez knockout in the hands of the southpaw from General Santos (aka the gentleman from Saranggani) could give reticent Floyd Mayweather Jr. second thoughts about tangling with the Pacman to settle who between them is the real pound-for-pound king.

In this his latest outing in Las Vegas, the gambling capital of the world, Pacquiao reportedly earned $22 million, plus about $5 million from his share in pay-for-view fees, and possibly more millions from other collateral collections.

The purse just keeps bulging ever bigger every time Arum touches it with Pacquiao’s golden gloves.

In sum, Arum stands out as the biggest winner each time Pacquiao’s hand is raised in victory.

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WAKE-UP CALL: Seriously now, the closing bell in his 12-rounder with hard-to-die Marquez should wake up Pacquiao to reality.

Even before he stepped into the ring, he and his coterie were already talking about his running for governor in 2013, senator in 2016, and president in 2022. Earlier, he announced a senatorial bid next year, obviously unaware that he had to be at least 35 years old (he was just 32) to do that.

What does he really want? He is already a congressman. What has he done in the House of Representatives except to voice opposition to the Reproductive Health Bill allocating billions to finance the distribution of information and contraceptives to slow down the population growth?

His lackluster showing last Sunday has raised questions about his being able to stick to the rigorous demands for focus and discipline of true champions. Even Roach looks like he is eyeing the exit.

At this low point, some worried fans also murmur about the need for Pacquiao to learn a lesson from athletes who had failed to rein in their surging urges — like for instance Tiger Woods, who lost his touch after getting entangled in extramarital dalliances.

Excesses and distractions have a cruel way of destroying the best of men.