DESPITE a looming overlap, Malacañang sees nothing wrong with the “parallel” investigations into the “Hello Garci” scandal by the Senate and presidential Truth Commission.
On Saturday, Presidential Communications Development Strategic and Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang said the two investigations have different objectives, for legislation and for prosecution.
“The Senate has its own reasons for investigating the issue. For them, it’s in aid of legislation. For the Truth Commission, it’s in aid of possible prosecution later on. I don’t feel it will be against public interest if the Senate holds its own hearings. The public wants to know what really happened. Perhaps through the Senate hearings, we can know what happened in 2004.”
Some members of the Senate had expressed interest in re-opening the “Hello Garci” scandal, which involves recorded wiretapped calls indicating fraud in the 2004 presidential election.
But the Truth Commission is also set to hold its own probe into the matter, as the executive order creating the body mandated it to look into irregularities in the nine-year Arroyo administration.
Meanwhile, Carandang said the composition of the Truth Commission has been completed, but the Palace is leaving it to commission head and former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. to announce the members.
He however did not say when Davide will make the announcement. “As far as I know, the membership of the Truth Commission is complete. But we will wait for Davide to make the announcements.”
Carandang also appealed to other sectors to set aside for now their doubts about Davide.
“President Benigno Aquino trusts Davide. And he made a decision, so we will know if he made the right decision based on the output of the Truth Commission,” he said. (JMR/Sunnex)