Tuesday, September 04, 2007 Senate to proceed with 'Hello Garci' probe
* Let's all move on, bishop says on reopening of investigation on issue
THE Senate decided on Monday to summon former election commission Virgilio Garcillano for a hearing on Friday on "Hello Garci" wiretapping scandal.
In a joint meeting, the Senate defense committee and the committee on constitutional revisions and the Blue Ribbon committee agreed to finalize the ground rules that will govern the inquiry.
Senator Rodolfo Biazon chairs the defense committee while Senator Alan Peter Cayetano heads the Blue Ribbon committee and Senator Richard Gordon leads the constitutional revisions committee.
The reopening of the "Hello Garci" investigation came about after Senator Panfilo Lacson showed last week a videotaped confession of former Technical Sergeant Vidal Doble wherein the military agent admitted having wiretapped President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and taping her phone conversations with other officials, including Garcillano.
Senators Gordon and Juan Ponce Enrile opposed entering into the Senate's record the alleged wiretapped material insisting that it is a crime under the existing law.
Enrile said the Senate must realize that if the committees will recognized the wiretapped tape, "then the Senate in itself is facing a very serious crime under the Constitution."
Because of the heated debate between the committee chairmen, the three organizational committees finally agreed to lay down the ground rules instead of focusing on earlier proposal made by Biazon.
"It will be three minutes only for each and every senator. Whoever comes first," Gordon said.
Others who will be invited to the hearing are Doble, Rear Admiral Tirso Danga, former Armed Forces chief Efren Abu, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, Bishop Socrates Villegas, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales and former National Bureau of Investigation officer Samuel Ong.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said it is necessary that the Senate subpoena Garcilano considering his alleged role in the issue.
Pimentel said a Senate summon will prevent Garcillano from hiding and evading the investigation.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said playing the "Hello Garci" tape in the Senate hearing would violate civil liberties of President Arroyo, the public and the media.
Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said it is time that the country moves on and would not focus on the "Hello Garci", a past issue.
Rosales rued that the country never moves forward because issues are being repeated and which hampers our development. (CPB/MSN/Sunnex)
