League of Provinces to urge GMA to shed light on ‘Hello Garci’ scandal

After giving President Arroyo much-needed support during the impeachment crisis, local government officials across the country called on her to break her silence over the alleged taped conversations with former poll official Virgilio Garcillano.

Local officials led by Nueva Ecija Gov. Tomas Joson said the League of Provinces of the Philippines will issue a resolution urging Mrs. Arroyo to explain her side of the story on the controversial wiretap conversations she allegedly had with former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

Joson led the governors in announcing before a news forum in San Juan yesterday their call for Mrs. Arroyo to disclose the truth behind the controversial "Hello, Garci" wiretap tapes.

The wiretapped conversations became the subject of a congressional inquiry and eventually prompted Mrs. Arroyo to issue a public apology for talking on the phone with an election official during the counting of the 2004 presidential ballots, though she did not mention Garcillano by name.

The opposition accused Mrs. Arroyo of cheating in last year’s vote and intended to use the wiretapped tapes as part of its evidence in an impeachment complaint filed against her at the House of Representatives.

The congressional inquiry over the wiretap conversations came to a halt for lack of material witnesses, including Garcillano who went into hiding when the controversy broke out.

Joson said the governors will reach a formal consensus in November on asking Mrs. Arroyo to explain the truth behind the wiretap controversy.

Joson, along with Agusan del Norte Gov. Erlpe John Amante, Sarangani Gov. Miguel Rene Dominguez and Sulu Governor and Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Chairman Benjamin Loong, claimed a consensus was reached that the termination of the impeachment proceedings last Tuesday left more questions unanswered over the allegations against the President.

Joson said Mrs. Arroyo owed the public an explanation to finally put to rest the controversy behind the "Hello, Garci" tape.

The governors said the initiative would come in the form of a request, not a resolution that could be seen as pressuring the Chief Executive.

Joson admitted it would be entirely up to the President whether to heed their call or ignore it.

However, in her July State of the Nation Address, Mrs. Arroyo had cited local officials, including governors, as among those who still supported her administration and its efforts to launch Charter change to replace the present "degenerated" system of government.

Joson explained that there may be issues and information that are best left unanswered since a public disclosure of such facts would do more harm than good.

The Nueva Ecija governor said the "Hello, Garci" controversy left the country politically divided and left many issues unresolved.

The League of Provinces of the Philippines also issued a signed statement asking the Filipino people for "sobriety and unity" following the dismissal of the impeachment complaint.

The League members noted congressmen who voted in favor of the House justice committee report dismissing the complaint had cited the overwhelming sentiments of their respective constituents in calling for the immediate conclusion to the impeachment proceedings.