Pimentel assails Supreme Court ruling stopping Senate probe on 'Hello Garci' scandal

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. assailed yesterday the Supreme Court ruling stopping the Senate from continuing with its inquiry into the “Hello, Garci” election fraud controversy because of the absence of published rules of procedure.

Pimentel said the decision would give crooks a heyday and he would prefer that the Senate finish its earlier investigation into the controversy rather than open a new one.

“For the SC to stress an alleged procedural defect in Senate investigation unfortunately gives the impression that it sides with evil doers in the Commission on Elections. (It’s a) sad day for electoral reforms,” Pimentel said.

“We can’t allow cheats to make a mockery of our electoral processes, even with the unintentional SC blessings,” Pimentel said.

The SC said the Senate’s hearings on the scandal on Sept. 7, 17 and Oct. 1, 2007 were unconstitutional because the Senate had not yet published its rules of procedure.

The Court explained that the decision did not totally bar the Senate from investigating the issue but it could not continue with its previous inquiry. It said the Senate could start a new probe based on its rules and procedure published recently.

The “Hello, Garci” controversy involves President Arroyo’s taped telephone conversations with former elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano allegedly discussing intent to commit fraud during the 2004 presidential elections.

Last year, the Senate revived the investigation based on a privilege speech of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who presented former military intelligence officer Vidal Doble as witness of the “Hello, Garci” tapes.

Doble claimed to have participated in wiretapping operations against opposition politicians and administration officials in 2004.

He testified that one of their operations revealed the calls of Mrs. Arroyo to Garcillano, where the two talked about the plot to rig the results of the election, particularly in Mindanao, during the presidential polls.

Mrs. Arroyo won over the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. by one million votes. Poe claimed that Mrs. Arroyo cheated.