Stonewalling GLORIAGATE

The Daily Tribune has a report here:

Administration congressmen yesterday tried every trick in the book to stonewall the five committee congressional investigation into the taped conversations between President Arroyo and poll commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, including having opposition supporters prevented from entering the session hall, as well as driving away those in the gallery and literally throwing them outside the premises of Congress, even as some 500 seats in the gallery were reportedly reserved for the administration's rent-a crowd.

Members of the majority bloc identified with the President wasted hours questioning the rules of the House, which was seen as a yet another delaying tactic of the administration allies, as another means of delaying the probe.

It was also observed that moves were quickly taken by Mrs. Arroyo's allies not to allow the airing of the tape in Congress.

With less than an hour left, Press Secretary and presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye was finally sworn in, but even as he was asked questions, it was evident that Bunye was lying through his teeth, despite the fact that he was testifying under oath.

He claimed he was pressured by the reporters to play the tape when in fact, it was he who insisted on playing the tape and even he had the CDs burned.

Bunye also claimed then that intelligence reports and Malacañang's investigation showed that the tapes were a destabilization plot against the government by opposition forces. It was later discovered, upon questioning, that there were no intelligence reports or investigation, as claimed earlier, as he said this all sprang from talk.

He claimed, too, during the House hearing that he received the CDs Monday morning, called a press conference and played the tapes to the reporters because an hour or so earlier, a radio station already aired the tapes.

Yet Bunye was all over TV and radio a day before (Sunday) he spoke to reporters about the tapes even as he claimed he saw the CDs only on that Monday.

A few points:

1) After initially admitting na si GMA raw ang nasa laman ng CDs na yan, Bunye backtracked and now he's claiming na hindi raw si GMA yung nasa CD.

Me naman, I find it hard to believe na hindi niya muna tinanong kay Arroyo kung siya ang nasa tape o hindi bago niya iprinisenta ang "original" at "spliced" CDs sa media.

Isn't that like uh... the first thing you do when you're the president's spokesperson and you want to get the truth out from her personally first before doing a risky preemptive stunt that eventually backfired?

Or is this a case of "Don't ask, don't tell?" ;)

2) Sinabi ni Bunye na pinilit lang raw siya ng mga reporters na i-play ang tapes, but Tina Panganiban Perez of GMA7 said it was Mr. Bunye that offered to play the tapes to the reporters 4 times. More here.

3) Bunye said that if he were given a "copy of a copy of a copy" of a disk, he himself would not recognize his own voice. But like Cool Ambo said,

He does not realize that in digital copies on disks, there is no signal loss encountered. His own voice will still sound as his own voice.

The interrogators did not question Bunye's assertion or make any follow-up questions. They let him skate with that one.

4) This sucks:

There should be a law against filibustering. In 4 hours, the plenary session could only come up with 4 members finishing their questions, each member being alloted only three minutes each.

The rest of the time have been spent, by the members of the majority, filibustering on rules which have already been agreed upon before the session.

Can you say S-T-O-N-E-W-A-L-L?