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Friday, August 19, 2005
Palace leaves 2 agencies to explain Garcillano 'escape'
* Senator calls for cancellation of ex-poll commissioner's passport
MALACANANG Thursday said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Bureau of Immigration (BI) are the ones that should explain to Congress how former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano was able to slip from the country to Singapore in July 14.
Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo said the tracing of Garcillano's movements is not a cause for concern by Malacañang because President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has said she did not cheat in the 2004 elections.
He said the public should wait for the evidence from both sides to be shown in the impeachment case so that they would know the truth.
"Ang malungkot nga nito laging nangunguna sa media ang nagpaparatang kung saan hindi naman sila puwedeng harapin pa ng mga sagot dahil ang sagot dapat sa mismong pagsisiyasat na may tinatawag na due process o patakaran ng batas (It is sad that our accusers go to the media where they cannot be answered back right away because any reply should be done in the proper forum, through due process and the rule of law)," he said.
The DFA has told the House committees investigating the "Hello Garci" controversy that Garcillano flew to Singapore on July 14 and left the next day for an unknown destination. There were reports that Garcillano flew to London from Singapore but Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office has told the Philippine embassy in London that no visa has been issued to Garcillano.
The House has issued an arrest order against Garcillano. The DFA has said it could not summarily cancel Garcillano's travel documents because he is not officially a fugitive from justice.
But Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel dared the DFA to stop protecting Garcillano by voiding his travel papers in order to facilitate his repatriation to the Philippines.
"The DFA must now cancel Garcillano's passport. Make him an illegal alien abroad to compel him to submit to Philippine jurisdiction," he said.
Pimentel said there is no more excuse for the DFA not to cancel Garcillano's passport after it was verified that the former election commissioner had fled the country shortly before the House of Representatives issued an order for his arrest for incessantly evading its summons to testify on the wiretapping scandal.
"I'm also daring Malacañang not to block the cancellation of Garcillano's passport to dispel the widespread suspicion that it was responsible for hiding him and for his escape," Pimentel said.
He noted that the cancellation of the passport will make Garcillano an illegal alien and make it impossible for him to move from one country to another without being apprehended by law enforcement authorities.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, for his part, criticized Malacañang for conniving with the DFA and the BI to let Garcillano flee the country.
Lacson said it's crystal clear to him now that it is Malacañang indeed who had a hand on the escape of Garcillano out of the country.
"Sinong magtatatak ng passport kung siya ay nag-depart? Di ba BI rin? Di naman siya tatangapin sa Singapore kung walang tatak na departed ang kanyang passport. Saan siya nagmula? So ang tanong uli, sino ang may motibo na mawala si Garcillano? Hindi ba ang Malacanang dahil nga si Garcillano ay exhibit number 1 sa pandaraya (Who stamped his passport. Isn't it the BI? He would not have been allowed into Singapore it his passport was not stamped departed. Where did he come from? So the question there is, who has the motive to let Garcillano leave? Isn't it Malacañang that would have the motive because Garcillano is exhibit number one in cheating in last year's elections?)," Lacson said. (JMR/Sunnex)
(August 19, 2005 issue)
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