Jim Shartou junks Tiongco’s claim of dagdag change

From the Tribune:

A day after Environment Secretary Michael Defensor presented the report of US forensic expert Barry Dickey's findings on what is perceived as a Malacañang manipulated tape to serve as a cover-up of the evidence of the crime of poll rigging, an audio engineer present in that telecast media conference went on television to debunk claims he was one of the audio engineers who had analyzed the tapes, stressing that he was not part of the press conference, but was merely invited for a meeting discussion by self-proclaimed audio expert Jonathan Tiongco, who is now being unmasked as a Palace man for hire in demolition jobs against the opposition.

Jim Shartou, during a television interview yesterday over ANC cable, also debunked Tiongco's claim that the words “yung dagdag, yung dagdag” (the padding, the padding) if played at slow speed would show that the words are “galvan at binagbag,” and played at high speed would then be heard as dagdag.

It was claimed by both Defensor and Tiongco, who has been found to be bereft of credentials, much less an audio engineering degree or expertise, that those words were digitally manipulated by the opposition to make it appear that President Arroyo held incriminating poll rigging conversations with fugitive election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and use this to topple her and her government.

Shartou said the words “yung dagdag,” said twice, whether played slowly or fast, would still be dagdag.

He stressed that when he went to Sulo Hotel, he thought he was being invited to a group discussion on the results of the analysis done by Dickey on the Garci tapes.

Sarthou said he has no political inclination and that he felt uneasy joining the event.

He added he distinctively heard the word dagdag in the “Hello Garci” tapes contrary to the statement of other sound engineers contacted by Defensor.

It was also found that Tiongco had approached jueteng witnesses Sandra Cam and Wilfredo “Boy” Mayor a few weeks ago, in an attempt at getting them to recant their statements against members of the presidential family.

Plus, Nap has more on the Barry Dickey interview that exposed Defensor's exaggerations.

And read PCIJ's twin articles today:

- “Anomalies” in Dickey’s analysis explained
- Audio Forensics for Beginners