5 presidential bets vow to go after Arroyo over ‘Hello Garci’

At least five presidential aspirants on Monday vowed to go after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in connection with the “Hello Garci"scandal if they get elected into office. Among those who said they would reopen the case if they get to Malacañang were opposition candidates Sen. Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III (Liberal Party) and Sen. Jamby Madrigal (independent). Bro. Eddie Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas), JC delos Reyes (Ang Kapatiran) and Nicanor Perlas (independent) also vowed to bring “closure" to the controversy, where President Arroyo is accused of rigging the 2004 elections to favor administration bets. “Only in the Philippines can a president be caught talking to her election commissioner asking for a million votes and still stay for another six years," said Madrigal during the Foreign Correspondents' Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) presidential forum at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Makati City. [See: Hello Garci timeline] “It is essential for any government to be able to determine how the system failed, what went wrong and why it is so difficult to correct the system that resulted in a mandate that's been questioned," said Aquino. Villanueva said the next administration “should not neglect [its] duty to the Filipino people and to history." Other opposition bets, former President Joseph Estrada (United Opposition) and Sen. Manny Villar Jr. (Nacionalista Party) were not present at the forum. Administration standard-bearer Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) said he would not initiate a re-opening of the Hello Garci controversy, but added that he would not stop any independent, “unbiased" body from reopening an investigation. "Whatever the outcome, we shall respect it," he said. Sen. Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan) said he would rather “move on" if he gets elected, and focus on his administration's own problems. “There are a lot of problems in this country that have to be solved." The Hello Garci scandal refers to the alleged wiretapped conversations where vote rigging in the 2004 elections was discussed by, among others, a woman presumed to be President Arroyo and man presumed to be then Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. - KBK/HGS, GMANews.TV