"I have not even agreed to give you amnesty, Mr. Camal de Leon. There will be no agreement on either point until the crisis is resolved. If you turn yourself in, you will remain free as long as you are providing useful support against the threats we now face. I remind you that we would not now be faced with this crisis if not for your actions."
The President's secretary handed him a note: WE ARE UNABLE TO TRACE THE PHONE CALL. Arroyo read it silently as he spoke.
"Fair enough," Rafael replied. "That's all I have to tell you for now. You will hear from me again." The line went dead.
---
"Joe," I asked, "I thought he was on our side now."
"I believe he is," Joe replied, "Rafael is, however, a known criminal. Politicians who have worked with him in the past were notoriously corrupt. If he appears to be too cozy with Mr. Camal de Leon, his reputation would suffer, both among the people and among the honest members of the government."
