Hindi magbibigay ng anumang komento si dating Commission on Election (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano sa kontrobersyal na "Hello Garci" tape kapag humarap ito sa wiretapping probe ng Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso.
Sa interview ng ANC News, sinabi ng abogado ni Garcillano na si Eddie Tamondong na hindi sasagutin ng kanyang kliyente ang anumang mga katanungan hinggil sa kontrobersyal na tape.
"As far as the tapes are concerned, we will not dignify that with a comment... Any reference to the tape will not be dignified with an answer," anang abogado ni Garcillano bilang kasagutan sa tanong kung kukumpirmahin o itatanggi ng dating poll commissioner ang umano’y wiretapped conversation nila ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo hinggil sa pandaraya sa presidential election.
Uhmmm... BUT DON'T YOU WANT CLOSURE!!! SO WE CAN MOVE ON NA???
Nauna nang ipinetisyon ng abogado ni Garcillano sa Korte Suprema na alisin ang arrest warrant laban sa kanyang kliyente at huwag payagan ang pagpapatugtog sa Hello Garci tape dahil ito’y labag sa right to privacy ng dating opisyal.
"The petition is to stop Congress from using the illegally wiretapped tape in their congressional hearings and as basis for committee reports. We also seek that all congressional records quoting or has any reference to these illegally wiretapped tapes to be totally stricken out," ani Tamondong.
Ayon pa kay Tamondong, umabuso ang Kongreso nang iparinig nito sa publiko ang Hello Garci tape. "The illegally wiretapped tapes were what we call in law as fruits from a poisonous tree and cannot be used in any proceeding as provided for by the Bill of Rights enshrined in our Constitution," anang abogado.
Waaaahhhh... the tapes are inadmissible... waaaahhhh!!!!
Samantala, naninwiala naman si Taguig-Pateros Rep. Allan Peter Cayetano na malaki ang kaugnayan ng pagbabalik ni Garcillano sa resulta ng survey na nagpapakitang 70% sa mga Filipino ay gustong umalis na sa puwesto si Pangulong Arroyo.
"It might be the survey na nagpapakita na 84% sa mga respondent ay gusto imbestigahan ng malaliman ang hello garci tapes at 70% gusto ng alisin si GMA sa Malacañang," ani Cayetano.
Malamang aniya na gustong lituhin ng Malacañang ang 70% na ito upang isantabi nila ang kanilang kagustuhang alisin na si Arroyo sa poder kaya pinalutang si Garcillano upang magtahi ng kasinungalingan.
"Sila mismo ang bumuhay ulit kay Garci na alam nilang pabor sa amin pero mayroon siyang misyon. His mission might be to plant seeds of doubts and divide and rule the people. Gusto nilang wasakin ang paniniwala ng 70% of the Filipino people na dapat ng alisin si GMA sa Malacañang," dagdag pa ni Cayetano.
Magtanim ay di biro...
Pinauwi lang dahil sa SEAG?!
Samantala, kumalat kagabi ang ilang text messages na nagsasaad na sadyang pinabalik ng gobyernong Arroyo si Garcillano para dayain ang resulta ng Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) na pormal na bubuksan ngayong araw na ito.
Ayon sa kumalat na text, bumalik si Garcillano para siguraduhing mananalo sa SEAG ang RP team.
"Breaking News: Garci came back just in time for d SEA games. He is taskd to be the score keeper to ensure victory of RP teams," anang isang text message.
Halos ganito rin ang isinasaad ng isa pang kumalat na text message: "Kaya pinabalik si Garci sa Pilipinas dahil siya ang mamamahala sa pagtabulate ng mga score cards sa SEA games. Tiyak na number 1 na ang Pilipinas!"
LMAO.
More from Abante-Tonite: Napakaraming kondisyones ni Garci.
Bishop Oscar Cruz: That's entertainment.
Ellen Tordesillas: Gloriahan lang yan
From Ninez Cacho Olivares:
Chances are, Virgilio Garcillano, despite his having suddenly surfaced, isn't going to attend any hearing, whether in the House or the Senate, even if he is reportedly being coached on what to say by Malacañang aides and operators.
The reason is simple. Garci is bound to make a slip somehow even if the House allies of Gloria Arroyo have taken over the chairmanships of the various committees probing the “Hello Garci” wiretapping, this would hardly stop opposition members from asking questions.
While it is true that Garci may well refuse to answer questions, such attitude will, however, portray him as a truly guilty party, which won't look too good for his principal.
Then there is the Senate panel probing the same wiretap controversy that has announced its intention to call Garci. That would be a tougher panel.
Besides, there would be too many things Garci would have to explain publicly. Already, he and his wife have conflicting stories, with the wife Grace saying they had just returned, and with Garci's lawyer claiming he never left the country.
More to the point, Garci will have to publicly admit that it is his, and Gloria's voice on the tape, if, as he claims he will be suing those who played the tape. If he denies it is his voice on tape, then he is hardly in a position to complain about the wiretapping and playing of the Hello Garci tape, in the same manner that Gloria can't quite charge wiretapping, as she would be admitting that which she tried to avoid when she said her now infamous “I am sorry” spiel.
Already, wife Grace admitted in an interview that it was Garci and Gloria caught on tape, when she complained that the entire tape should be played and not just the 15 recorded conversations between her husband and Gloria.
All this brings up one basic question: If Garci isn't going to talk, why bother to make an entrance once again as the Hello Garci issue has been revived, and with a big bang?
A good guess is one that says the stonewalling by Malacañang on the Hello Garci issue has hurt Gloria more than the Palace lets on, as speculations have risen on Garcillano having been liquidated.
Another guess is that Garci and his wife couldn't stay away too long in any foreign country, especially in New Jersey, where his adopted daughter stays. Besides, sooner or later, his whereabouts would be traced, despite Gloria's stonewalling.
This was proved in his departure from Subic airport to Singapore and onward to a third country.
A better guess is that Gloria may have come to believe that in Garci's desperation and the constant change of addresses being a man on the lam, he could very well just give up and tell all, just to come home and lead a fairly normal life after the brouhaha over the poll rigging.
So now Garci is back, but is not willing to talk.
What then is the strategy?
From all indications, it is the legal one he seeks to put a stop to the Hello Garci controversy.
First, he comes home, aware that the House panels probing the wiretap controversy will no longer be a hostile one, with the loyal allies of Gloria taking charge after ousting those who went for the impeachment of Gloria.
Then he, through his lawyer, goes to the Supreme Court, to question the arrest warrant issued by the House against him, and now asking the court to quash the warrant.
With a high court that grants Gloria anything she asks for by way of ruling, Garci figures he will be getting what he wants — from a legal viewpoint.
But then again, the high court need not butt in. There are enough allies in the House who are more than willing to withdraw that warrant. Already, Gloria loyalist Rep. Butch Pichay has offered to take Garci into his personal custody, even when Garci is already reportedly under the custody of Isafp agents. Gloria certainly isn't going to take any chances of letting Garci out of her sight and out of her control.
She didn't trust him enough, even as he worked as her top poll-rigging operator, which was why his calls were monitored. She and Mike suspected at one time that he would go over to the opposition side.
With Garci holding her political future in his hands, she certainly can't afford to let him loose, and outside of her control.
But whatever the strategy agreed upon by Gloria and Garci, it's not likely to fly.
The Hello Garci controversy was allowed by Gloria to take too long to resolve, and as a result, it will take a herculean task to disabuse the mind of the Filipinos that Gloria did not cheat at the polls, or believe that it wasn't Garci and Gloria on tape, discussing the dagdag-bawas scheme.
Both are done for.
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