JDV hopeful ‘Hello, Garci’ hearings will end soon

Speaker Jose de Venecia expressed hope yesterday that the five House committees investigating allegations of election fraud and the "Hello, Garci" scandal will wrap up their inquiries.

"I cannot influence a committee, but we’re hoping that the five committees will just terminate the hearing and prepare (and) submit their report to the House of Representatives so we can move on," De Venecia told reporters during the first death anniversary of his daughter, Kristina Casimira, at the offices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Quezon City.

KC died of suffocation during a fire that razed the De Venecia residence in Dasmariñas Village in Makati City last year.

De Venecia said the House has many other concerns to attend to and that it is time to focus on these matters.

The five House committees are investigating allegations of fraud in the May 2004 elections and wiretapped conversation purportedly between former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and President Arroyo.

"We have to approve the budget," De Venecia said. "Thank God we approved the anti-subversion law and the anti-terrorism law yesterday."

"Now we have to approve the amendments to the Constitution," he added.

De Venecia also asked Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon to return to the fold of the law: "I think he should search his soul and rethink his move... If he can go back to his station, he can become a general someday and a significant officer."

He also said he favors the detention of former defense secretary Fortunato Abat, who declared his own "revolutionary transition government" earlier this week.

"It’s absolutely unnecessary but, you know, they insist on making preposterous (claims) and the national police has no choice but to detain them and submit them to interrogation because, for all you know, this could lead to something else," De Venecia said.

He added that the actions of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in detaining Abat should also serve as "a warning that others who are thinking of the same thing should forget about it."