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Thursday, June 09, 2005
Gary says tape voice ‘like mine’
A man whose conversations with President Arroyo had been allegedly wiretapped surfaced yesterday, even as Malacañang said Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye was not authorized to release the audio recordings.
Edgar Ruado’s appearance came as the President tried to round up support from the military and police, amid reports of yet another destabilization plot against the government.
“As far as I can recall, the conversations I had with the President and the First Gentleman [Jose Miguel Arroyo] were normal conversations any political officer would have with his bosses,” said Ruado, in an affidavit he submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation.
Ruado said he was the “Gary” referred to in the recordings. He said the voice on the tape sounded very much like his, adding that he spoke with the President and the First Gentleman many times and on “various occasions” during the 2004 campaign.
Ruado said he was working as chief of staff of Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo, the President’s brother-in-law.
Fall guy?
But Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Bunye did not have approval from the President to release the recordings to the media.
The National Bureau of Investigation has said the two tapes were tampered with. It is, however, possible to tap mobile phone communications.
Meanwhile, Nueva Ecija Rep. Aurelio Umali said the House of Representatives “will never countenance illegal eavesdropping” as this is inadmissible in court or in an impeachment proceeding.
Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco said it is obvious that the opposition has long planned to attack the President from all sides to build the basis for an impeachment case.
Cuenco said it won’t be surprising if the opposition will file an impeachment case or use other groups to pursue this.
“The jueteng issue and taped conversations are opposition tools to build a basis to file an impeachment complaint against the President. But the opposition will not succeed because she was not involved in jueteng payoffs and she won the elections in a clean and honest way,” he said.
First base
Cuenco expressed doubt an impeachment complaint could gather the votes of at least one-third of all House members.
“They won’t even get to first base, which is to hurdle the committee level,” he said.
In Malacañang, the President had a “bonding session” during a dinner she hosted for members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Classes of 1973 to 1978.
But Deputy Director General Avelino Razon Jr., a member of PMA class of 1974, was quick to clarify that the meeting was “not a loyalty check.”
He said controversial issues such as the alleged wiretapped phone conversation of the President and allegations of jueteng links against the First Family were discussed but “only in passing.”
“She said the government is going through trials. We have to be strong and united,” Razon said.
Bonding
The President also told the officers that the country was in a “critical period” since new taxes aimed at curbing the budget deficit are set to take effect.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief Efren Abu, meanwhile, said the military is on the side of the government and public service.
“As chief of staff, I have trust in my subordinate commanders. We always say, in case of anything, they always follow the chain of command,” he said.
Abu also denied reports that there are soldiers who have been recruited to join force that will topple the Arroyo administration.
He confirmed that there is recruitment of soldiers by the retired military but they failed to encourage the AFP members to join them. (PNA/Sunnex Luzon)
Edgar Ruado’s appearance came as the President tried to round up support from the military and police, amid reports of yet another destabilization plot against the government. |
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