Comelec exec seeks reopening of ‘Garci’ probe

07/12/2007

A poll official who had copped out on going deeper into the alleged fraud that marked the recent mid-term elections in Mindanao yesterday sought a reinvestigation of the “Hello Garci” scandal that linked President Arroyo to ballot-rigging in the 2004 presidential vote.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the Hello Garci probe would have to be reopened once the 12th senator and the winning party-list nominees are proclaimed.

“I think this (inquiry) has to be addressed by the com-mission. I think there should be closure to this issue because this has been recurring,” Sarmiento noted.

He said the Comelec itself will gain from the resolution of the scam, the reason, he added, he was pushing the reinvestigation.

“For the good of the com-mission as an institution, I think, once and for all, this (scandal) has to be addressed because this is a baggage that we carry up to this very day. For the sake of transparency, account-ability and closure to this issue, this has to be addressed by the commission,” Sarmiento said.

He added he will initiate a proposal that those involved in the controversy, “especially Comelec personnel, along with

former Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano should be investigated and that proper action should be undertaken by the commission.”

Garcillano, or Garci, was heard on tape talking with Mrs. Arroyo, on cheating opposition standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr. by one million votes to assure her victory in the 2004 polls.

Sarmiento noted that the commission is still busy dealing with the issue of the proclamation of the 12th senator and can only possibly tackle the Hello Garci scandal after the proclamation.

“We leave this decision (to reinvestigate) to the commission. I was not in the commission when this alliance (between Garcillano and Mrs. Arroyo) took place. But I’m sure this commission will conduct appropriate and proper examination (of it) as well as the cross-examination of (Maguindanao provincial election supervisor Lintang) Bedol.”

Bedol is highly suspected to be the brains behind the alleged fraud in Maguindanao that resulted in zero votes for senatorial candidates of the Genuine Opposition.

Poll watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) last week also sought a reopening of the Hello Garci controversy in order to restore public trust in the Comelec.

The PPCRV, however, also yesterday practically ruled out Mrs. Arroyo’s supposed role in the scandal, declaring its “trust in the President’s statesmanship” in effecting a revamp in the poll body.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), for its part, wanted “a full revamp of the Comelec, beginning with the appointment of a new chairman and commissioners with unquestioned integrity and competence, especially in systems and management.”

Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr., apparently convinced that he is not the person that the CBCP is referring to, also yesterday said the Catholic Church does not want his head.

Abalos, who was interviewed by media at the Office of the Mayor in Mandaluyong City, added he had spoken with Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal over reports that the church has called for a change of leadership at the Comelec.

“That is not the position of the bishops,” he said.

During the interview, Abalos announced that he will hold an election summit to discuss the possibility of instituting changes in the electoral system by means of legislation.

The Citizens’ Caucus for Effective Governance, a watchdog, also yesterday proposed an overhaul of the Comelec and called for the creation of a Commission on Electoral Fraud that would conduct an inquiry into the conduct of the presidential elections in 2004 and the mid-term elections last May 14.

The caucus also demanded that reforms be instituted in the electoral system “that will ensure the participation of the electorate and create a level playing field that will encourage the candidacy of competent citizen-leaders” as well as guarantee “the non-partisan role of all government instrumentalities, especially the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.” Rommel C. Lontayao, Kristine V. Torres, Gerry Baldo and Jojo Arazas

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