If there is one who has been from top to bottom in less than a decade, that would have to be Charlie “Atong” Ang. The one-time gambling buddy of former President Erap Estrada has gone the full route from the high-flying gambling joints in Las Vegas to a cell in the Metro Manila District Jail in Bicutan.

Ang, a co-accused in the plunder case filed against Estrada, was once one of the most influential people around the deposed President. A high-profile gambler like his friend, Ang moved around in circles of influence and was the envy of many who wanted a taste of the so-called good life. Far from the luxurious confines where he hobnobbed with the wealthy and the powerful, he now temporarily occupies a cell on the second floor of a building housing more than 1,000 prisoners including 48 members of the notorious Batang City Jail and 135 suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits. He was in fact prisoner no. 192 at the Quezon City Jail before Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno gave the go-ahead for his transfer allegedly because of serious threats to his life.

Ang's fall from grace should be enough lesson to those who get intoxicated with power. It shows that, like the life of his former gambling buddy, things can turn from best to worst before we know. This is not to say of course that Estrada and Ang are guilty as charged. It is up to the courts hearing their cases to determine that. It is also not the same as saying that many who are enjoying the good life at present are not equally if not more guilty than them. The point here is that life always has a way of reassuring skeptics that there is indeed a season for everything. While there are others seem to get away with murder, it does not necessarily mean they will live happily ever after.

Tyrants, regardless of their size, should therefore be forewarned that there is a limit to most excesses in this life. When that happens, they would curse the day they were born. There are enough of life's surprises to keep us guessing. It is true that there are a lot to complain about life in the Philippines these days. There are enough excesses and abuses that fuel our cynicism. And yet, events like the roller-coaster ride in the lives of Ang and Erap should give us just enough reasons for optimism. As the saying goes, it's better to devote more attention to a successful exit than a favorable entrance. What matter isn't being applauded when you arrive, but being missed when you leave.