Comelec chief asks 'Garci' to help in 2004 poll probe

Commission on Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. on Wednesday called on former poll commissioner Virgilio Garcillano to help shed light on the supposed anomalies during the 2004 elections which allegedly benefitted former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. "Commissioner Garcillano please come over and help us now... anyway iba na rin ang adminitrasyon now baka makatulong ka (the administration now is different so you might be able to help)," Brillantes said during a press conference at the Comelec headquarters in Manila. Garcillano made headlines in 2005 after a taped conversation about alleged vote-rigging between a man presumed to be him and a woman presumed to be Mrs. Arroyo surfaced. It became known as the “Hello Garci" controversy. Both Mrs. Arroyo and Garcillano have since denied being involved in the supposed rigging of the 2004 elections. But now that Mrs. Arroyo's term as President is over, Brillantes said he hopes Garcillano will consider helping them. "We want to regain the lost glory of the commission. This is one of my purposes of staying here," he said. Willing to listen In Malacañang, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said they are willing to listen to whatever Garcillano would say if he indeed decides to shed light on the alleged poll fraud. "We are open, of course. We are open to listen to what he can say. We want to assess and evaluate the testimony of Garci if he is willing to come out in the open," Lacierda said at a press briefing. "There are motivations perhaps why somebody would decide to reveal everything," he added. By official records of Congress sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, Mrs. Arroyo won the 2004 elections after garnering 12,905,808 votes over the late actor Fernando Poe Jr.'s 11,782,232 votes. Poe claimed that Mrs. Arroyo had robbed him of his electoral victory. He died on Dec. 14, 2004 but his widow, Susan Roces, pursued an electoral protest. In March 2005, the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) dismissed the protest. Earlier in the day, Brillantes said he still believes that Poe won the 2004 elections. 2007 poll fraud Aside from Garcillano, the Comelec chief said that they are also awaiting the signed affidavit of suspended Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Zaldy Ampatuan, who linked Mrs. Arroyo to alleged fraud during the 2007 elections. "I am also trying to get in touch with Zaldy's lawyer. That's a very important affidavit because it will be the connectng link between Bedol and supposed former President," he said. In his affidavit, former Maguindanao provincial election supervisor Lintang Bedol recounted that he was ordered by Mrs. Arroyo through the Ampatuans to ensure that then senatorial bets Alan Peter Cayetano, Panfilo Lacson, and Benigno Aquino III would “get zero votes" in Maguindanao province during the 2007 elections. The votes were allegedly transferred to candidates allied with Mrs. Arroyo, particularly Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who has since denied involvement in any poll fraud. "(But) if that is the only link, that to me as a lawyer that's simply hearsay in so far as Bedol is concerned. If Ampatuan corroborates that statement then that is no longer hearsay," said Brillantes. The Comelec chief said they have sent two lawyers to the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, where Bedol is being detained, to ask the former poll official about his affidavit. He likewise said that they are trying to piece together his statements with that of the three new witnesses who also claimed they had knowledge of the irregularities during the 2007 polls. Brillantes said there is bound to be a debate on whether Mrs. Arroyo would still be liable for any election-related charges because of the five-year prescription period to file such cases under the law. He noted, however, that Mrs. Arroyo was protected by presidential immunity during her term so the period should only apply after her term ended in 2010. — with Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News