Ping says PNP official behind Garcillano’s ‘clean passport’

A ranking police official facilitated the manufacture of a "clean passport" to make it appear former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano did not escape abroad as alleged, Sen. Panfilo Lacson revealed yesterday.

Lacson tagged Senior Superintendent Asher Dolina, chief of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR), as the one behind the forging of Garcillano’s passport to support the former election official’s claim that he never left the country since 2002.

"Our sources identified the culprit as Senior Superintendent Asher Dolina. The passport was made to conform to Garcillano’s statement that he never left. We’re still investigating how he did it," Lacson declared.

Lacson noted Dolina led the raid on the rented room of former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) handwriting expert Segundo Tabayoyong in San Mateo, Rizal last Aug. 17.

Tabayoyong had been hired by Lacson and the opposition to scrutinize the thousands of election returns which were allegedly tampered with to favor President Arroyo in the May 10, 2004 elections.

Dolina led the lawmen in seizing the boxes of election returns from Tabayoyong.

Lacson also alleged Dolina was the police official who "invited" retired general Fortunato Abat and his group for questioning while they held out at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan to declare a "revolutionary transitional government" to replace President Arroyo.

Lacson noted Garcillano presented his "clean" passport before the joint congressional hearing on the "Hello, Garci" wiretap scandal at the House of Representatives last Tuesday.

Garcillano presented a passport indicating that he had not left the country since 2002, including during his six months in hiding.

The former Commission of Election (Comelec) commissioner presented his travel documents to deny allegations that he left for Singapore last July shortly after the wiretap controversy arose.

Congressmen presented a note verbale sent by Singapore indicating Garcillano arrived in the country last July 14 from Manila before leaving for London the following day.

Lacson said Dolina may have unwittingly exposed a high-level conspiracy to cover up cheating allegedly committed during the last elections by manufacturing the passport for Garcillano.

He said the emergence of the supposedly fake Garcillano passport could have an impact on the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Singapore.

"This now threatens to blow up into a high-level dispute between the governments of our two countries," Lacson said.

The former national police chief also said he had received information that Garcillano was planning to return to Cagayan de Oro over the weekend and could be trying to disappear again from public view.

"Does this mean that Garci has no intention to appear before the Senate hearing on the matter?" Lacson asked.

Lawmakers noted Garcillano was being helped during his months in hiding.

Garcillano himself admitted that several personalities he did not identify helped him travel around Mindanao and offered him refuge.

One of the officials said to have aided Garcillano is Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane.

The former national police chief reportedly provided security and vehicles to Garcillano while hiding in Mindanao. — With Edu Punay