Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday said that he wants the Senate to continue with its investigation of the purported rigging of the 2004 election results, after a military officer revealed new information about the controversy.
"I want the Senate to finish its investigation on Hello Garci. Hello Garci is the orginal sin. Dapat imbestigahan ito (It should be investigated)," Cayetano told reporters in a press conference on Friday.
Alleged irregularities in the 2004 elections involving top officials of then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration were bared in the so-called “Hello Garci" tapes, which contained alleged wiretapped conversations between a woman believed to be Mrs. Arroyo and a man believed to be then Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.
Rear Admiral Feliciano Angue, former commander of the military’s National Capital Region Command, recently said that there were attempts to rig the results of the 2004 elections in Tawi-Tawi, where he was then chief of the Navy’s Task Force 62.
Angue’s statement was reportedly deleted in the final report prepared the Mayuga Commission — the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ fact-finding panel that investigated the alleged 2004 poll irregularities — as it would pin down the AFP officials involved.
Cayetano said he also received information that many of those who were quoted in the Mayuga report were not under oath when they gave their statements.
He likewise said that there are military officers who have vital information about the Hello Garci controversy but use it to "hit" their opponents or get themselves into certain positions instead of revealing the truth.
The senator said he hopes that he won't have to file a resolution for the investigation. "I'm hoping once nag-settle down na yung organization sa Senate (the Senate organization has settled down), my colleagues will see the wisdom to settle this issue once and for all," he said.
He noted, however, that he is willing to prepare a resolution or a privilege speech on the issue if needed.
Truth Commission probe
On the other hand, Cayetano recognized that the Truth Commission might also look into the Hello Garci controversy since it was created to look into the anomalies during the Arroyo administration.
But he said that the truth body has three potential problems, one of which is whether it has the power to subpoena people who might serve as witness or resource persons for the case.
"I do not know until now whether the Truth Commission will have the powers to investigate this," he said, comparing it to the Senate, which has the power to compel attendance and submission of documents.
Cayetano also said he does not know whether the truth body will be able to handle the "enormity" of its task of investigating mountains of alleged anomalies. "Maybe we should have many truth commissions," he said.
Most importantly, he said the Truth Commission might have a problem with its appointed head, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, because he might be perceived to be biased in favor of Mrs. Arroyo.
"I believe in the integrity of Chief Justice Davide. However, we all know that he is close to President Arroyo," he said.
Senate Pro Tempore Joseph Estrada had earlier said that Davide "betrayed" his oath when he administered the oath of then Vice President Arroyo in 2001 as the replacement of then President Joseph “Erap" Estrada in the midst of the EDSA 2 People Power uprising.
Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. later backed Estrada, saying that the Truth Commission should be headed by someone with less "political baggage."
Cayetano likewise said that even though Davide might be fair in his investigation, people may not think so. "Perception is as important as reality," said the senator, though he did not suggest names of persons who could replace the former chief justice.—JV
