Church leaders urge 'Hello Garci' witnesses to testify

A week after some Marine officials expressed their willingness to testify on the “Hello Garci scandal," Catholic Church leaders have called on other witnesses to come forward. Sr. Mary John Mananzan, co-chairwoman of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP), claimed that there are many who know the truth but are reluctant to come out. “I would urge… I think everyone, who knows the truth about it, should come out already and say their part," Mananzan said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news site. Last week, some Marine officials signified their intention to divulge what they know about alleged poll cheating in the 2004 presidential elections. The "Hello Garci" scandal, which broke out in 2005, refers to the wiretapped conversations allegedly between former President Gloria Arroyo and then poll commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting chairwoman Henrietta de Villa also urged witnesses to come out and help in the investigation of the case. “I am all for everyone who knows about that dark moment in our history would come out and tell the truth, of course backed by hard evidence, especially now that our momentum is very high in terms of cleansing our government agencies," said de Villa. For its part, the Department of National Defense guaranteed it will provide protection for those who will come out as witnesses. Meanwhile, Mananzan also urged lawmakers to hasten the passage of the whistleblowers’ bill pushed by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III in his first State of the Nation Address. –VVP, GMANews.TV