Malacañang and some senators on Thursday welcomed the willingness of several senior Marine officials to testify about the "Hello Garci" 2004 election scandal. At the same time, the Palace downplayed criticisms about the soon-to-be-formed Truth Commission where the Marine officials are expected to testify. Malacañang said critics should wait until its powers are defined through an executive order before dismissing the fact-finding body. At a press briefing, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the Marine officials who have signified their intention to divulge their knowledge on the alleged cheating in the 2004 elections were "more than welcome to testify." "Now that we have a new administration there's a call for people of good faith, good will to come out and offer the knowledge that they have," he said. Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban said Wednesday that some senior Marine officers who were commanders of middle level units during the presidential elections in 2004 were willing to testify before the Truth Commission, which will be headed by retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. The Hello Garci scandal refers to the wiretapped conversations between a woman believed to be former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and a man believed to be then Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Virgilio Garcillano that took place during the 2004 presidential elections. [See: Hello Garci timeline]
President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has yet to sign the EO creating the Truth Commission. But lawmakers such as Senator Joker Arroyo and House minority leader Edcel Lagman are already questioning the parameters of the agency's powers since it won't be created by Congress. Lacierda, however, said critics should wait first for the contents of the EO, which he said Aquino will likely sign this week. "Let's wait and see for the EO, once it comes out then I think all the concerns, all the comments, all the observations on the EO will be properly ventilated," he said. Aquino earlier said the Truth Commission will be created to probe corruption controversies in past governments, particularly during the Arroyo administration. Other issues that may be taken up by the commission include the P728-million fertilizer fund scam and the botched ZTE-NBN deal.
Senators laud Marine officers Senators also lauded the senior Marine officers who have come forward to testify on the alleged irregularities that marred the 2004 presidential elections. Senators Francis Escudero, Francis Pangilinan, and Gregorio Honasan separately said they welcome Sabban's assurance that the unnamed military officers would
provide the Truth Commission with vital information regarding the alleged 2004 poll anomalies. "This is a most definitely welcome. I do hope that they will indeed be able to shed light on the 2004 elections," Escudero told GMANews.TV in a text message on Thursday. Pangilinan likewise said he hopes that the officers' testimonies will finally explain the Hello Garci controversy. "We hope that they will be able to... provide hard evidence that will lead to the closure of the infamous Hello, Garci scandal that erupted in 2005," he told GMANews.TV in a separate text message. Honasan said the Truth Commission should pursue the matter if there are "serious charges and proof." However, if there is no evidence to back the claims, he said they should just "bury the issue." He likewise said that the officers' statements should not be used to "politicize" the issue. "Let's not unnecessarily divide the country. Let's not promote disunity," he told GMANews.TV in a phone interview on Thursday. Earlier, a military fact-finding board cleared the generals mentioned in the wiretapped conversations of any wrongdoing with the regards the 2004 elections. The report, however, was never made public.
— Kim Tan, VVP/RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV 
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