These days, Marlene Aguilar-Pollard spends her time basking in her own limelight. As the mother of murder suspect Jason Aguilar Ivler, she has shot up the headlines by her own accord—appearing in countless media interviews to drum up sympathy for her son, and to declare to the world that she and her family are victims of a conspiracy most foul.

On Friday, January 29, PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) sat  with Marlene for an exclusive one-on-one interview, which PEP had a hard time scheduling. We had to send Marlene countless text messages before she agreed to talk to us.

"I live a quiet life," Marlene told us, as she sat cozily and sipped coffee at a Starbucks branch near Corinthian Gardens, Quezon City. Marlene, an artist, author, and singer, is not as popular as her brother, world-acclaimed folk singer Freddie Aguilar. Not until the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) took her son away from her.

It seemed, however, that Marlene is now quite comfortable living under her new spotlight. In fact, she may be too adept in it—her tears, her smiles, and her little gestures felt perfectly timed with how she narrated the story of her life.

JASON'S ARREST. On January 18, elements of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) swarmed the house of Marlene Aguilar-Pollard in Blue Ridge A Subdivision in Quezon City. They were set to arrest Marlene's son Jason Ivler, a former U.S. marine who was wanted by the law for allegedly shooting to death Victor Ebarle Jr, son of a Malacañang official, last November in a road-rage killing incident.

SWAT was anticipating Jason to be heavily-armed. The 28-year old suspect had been evading the law for around three months. In several media interviews, Marlene said she did not know where her son is and that he probably had gone abroad.

When SWAT reached the basement of Marlene's 500-meter home, Jason greeted them with bullets. Jason was able to injure two NBI officers before he was taken down.

Jason is currently confined in QMMC. He already had undergone two operations. During the gunfight, his large intestine was hit, and feces spread to his stomach. QMMC doctors say Jason is "getting better."

The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has scheduled the arraignment for Jason's case on February 9.

STRONG EVIDENCE. Marlene told PEP that it's impossible to continue with the arraignment on the set date.

"How? He cannot even move. He's sedated. He can only move his left arm," she said. "What amazes me is doctors keep saying he's out of danger, he's getting better. But how can they say he's getting better when the first set of antibiotics they gave him did not work? That means we're starting all over again and they keep telling the public he's getting better."

Besides, Marlene added, Jason cannot possibly be guilty to murder charges even though the NBI presents strong evidence against him.

"He was at home that night when it happened," she stressed. Earlier this week, she told Unang Balita's Arnold Clavio that she suspects her British bodyguard Mark Hauser set up her son.

But the NBI said there is no evidence linking Hauser to the murder case. Lawyer Romulo Asis, executive officer of the Office of the Intelligence Services, said investigation was over and the case against Ivler had already been filed in court.

Evidence against Ivler, moreover, is "strong," according to NBI. Ballistics tests, for instance, confirm that the bullets that killed Ebarle match the guns that the NBI confiscated from Ivler.