2005: The year ‘Hello Garci’ shook RP

The long-running "Gloriagate" controversy brought about by the "Hello Garci" wiretapped audio tapes was the top story of the year marked by roller-coaster public approval ratings of the bureaucracy, a year of notable extremes and pendulum swings of fortune.

Though President Arroyo escaped impeachment, there is still no closure to her alleged attempts to rig the 2004 elections.

The testimony of former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, with whom the President allegedly discussed vote rigging in a wiretapped phone conversation, is set to resume in the new year after Garcillano finally surfaced following months in hiding and purported sightings of him everywhere from Zambales to London.

But there was no denying the survival instincts of the President, who, after a televised apology and a slew of Cabinet officials resigning, escaped impeachment by Congress for "lying, cheating and stealing."

As if her political woes were not enough, the President had to cope with a slip-sliding economy highlighted by a yawning budget deficit, which she attempted to address through various economic reform measures, foremost of which was the expanded value-added tax law.

The amended consumption tax, which raises the VAT to 10 percent and lifts previous exemptions on the oil, power and transport sectors, went through the wringer before Republic Act 9337 was finally implemented on Nov. 1, after the Supreme Court had ruled it constitutional and threw out petitions from the opposition and oil companies to strike it down.

The EVAT is expected to generate some P5 billion to P6 billion in monthly revenues — a prospect that pleases the Arroyo administration and foreign financial watchers, though the full effect of the law has yet to be tested where it matters most: on the already tightened belts of the Filipino public.

Completing the top three stories for 2005 was the Valentine’s Day bombings in the cities of Makati, General Santos and Davao that left 13 people dead and 140 wounded. The Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility, with spokesman Abu Solaiman describing it as "a Valentine’s gift" to Mrs. Arroyo. In a span of an hour at twilight, Feb. 14, explosions hit a tricycle terminal in General Santos near the Gaisano mall, a bus terminal in Davao, and a bus cruising to a stop at the intersection of EDSA and Ayala Avenue. In October the suspects in the Makati bombing were meted the death penalty by regional trial court Judge Marissa Guillen. It was the bloodiest Valentine’s Day in recent memory, with fingerprints of the attack leading back to the Superferry 14 sinking in 2004 and to the Davao City airport and wharf bombings a year earlier.

Other stories rounding out the Top 10 newsmakers of 2005:

• SEA Games champion

For the first time since joining the biennial Southeast Asian Games in 1977, the Philippines won 113 gold medals, 86 silver, and 92 bronze to emerge overall champions, reversing the diagnosis that the country was the sick sportsman of Asia and allaying somewhat the disappointing medal drought in the past two Olympics. New household names emerged, such as diver Sheila Mae Perez, archer Amaya Paz — both gold medal winners — and even football’s Younghusband brothers, reserves of premiership-side Chelsea. There was controversy when close rival Thailand questioned the "hometown decisions" that seemed to favor local athletes, but the issue was laid to rest when Thai officials said they were quoted out of context. Perhaps the correct context is: "See you in Bangkok in 2007!" But the true test of whether the victory was a fluke will be at the Asian Games in Doha 2006.

• Sayyaf jailbreak

One of the worst prison sieges in recent years began on a dog day afternoon near the ides of March when three senior Abu Sayyaf commanders and other inmates were killed in a foiled jailbreak at the Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. After a prolonged standoff lasting almost 24 hours that had the Sayyaf members taking detainees as hostages and issuing impossible demands, troops stormed the jail in the wee ours of March 15. When the smoke had cleared, among those dead were Galib Andang alias Commander Robot, leader in the Sipadan hostage-taking in Malaysia in 2000; Alhamser Limbong, alias Commander Kosovo, a suspect in the Superferry firebombing in February 2004), and Nadzmie Sabtullah, alias Commander Global.

Blamed for the prison escape were lax guards, a situation that only highlighted the lack of personnel securing the nation’s jails and prisons, and the avenues for corruption therein.

• Jueteng scandal

A parade of witnesses herded by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz testified before the Senate on alleged links between the First Family and the illegal numbers game jueteng, the same bogey that had led to the downfall of the preceding administration. Witnesses Sandra Cam, Richard Garcia and Wilfredo Mayor each had their say about the supposed unholy alliance between the Palace and nefarious bookies, including colorful references to the "Lion King" long before Hong Kong Disneyland was opened. Later there was witness Michaelangelo Zuce whose tales of sitting ringside while the President distributed envelopes of money to election officials failed to provide a slam-dunk to corruption in high places.

Garcia eventually retracted in a tearful outburst, saying an opposition senator was behind the smear campaign.

• Pope John Paul II dies

Roman Catholic Filipinos felt twice orphaned this year, first with the death of the beloved Pope John Paul II in April, then with the death of Jaime Cardinal Sin in June. Sin, who had long been ill but whose political influence could never be ignored, was unable to fly to Rome to participate in the conclave to elect the successor to John Paul, who had gathered record crowds in Manila during World Youth Day in January 1995. Others who passed on to the great beyond: National Artists Ang Kiu Kok and Leonor Orosa Goquingco, public servant Haydee Yorac, former senators Raul Roco and Robert Barbers, NBI chief Reynaldo Wycoco, geologist Raymundo Punongbayan, diplomat Alicia Ramos, banker Ted Borlongan, STAR columnists Teddyman Benigno, Jess Cruz and Ann Oriondo, opinion editor Ben Bernales and Tarlac correspondent Benjie Villa.

• Peso fluctuations

It was one of the more volatile years for the local currency in recent memory, with the peso hitting highs of 53.92 early in 2005 then threatening to equal historic lows of 56.42 to the dollar in the middle of the year, before finally breaching the 54 to 1$ barrier in late November again at 53.94. As trading for the year wound down, the peso was treading on the lower levels of 53.03 to the dollar — fluttering up to 31-month highs — boosted by dollar remittances from overseas Filipino workers. The seesawing peso staged enough of a rally to become Asia’s best performing currency this year, something the Arroyo administration was happy to claim as good news in a year desperate for positive spin.

• Cha-cha and con-com

During her state of the nation address in July, the President challenged Congress and the nation to "let the great debate on Charter change begin," a challenge spurred by former President Fidel Ramos, Speaker Jose de Venecia and the Catholic bishops who may have helped pull her administration back from the brink of collapse in July. Soon enough, Mrs. Arroyo formed the presidential consultative commission to recommend changes to the 1987 Constitution. Almost like clockwork, or as if following a pre-written script, the con-com promptly focused on shifting the form of government to a unicameral parliamentary system, which the President had strongly pushed to replace the "degenerative" political system. But a last-minute rider on no-elections has opened the whole process up to further and — presumably lengthier — debate.

• Garcia convicted

Former military comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia was sentenced in early December to two years of hard labor in court-martial proceedings, almost two years to the day after his sons were apprehended at a US airport carrying $100,000 in cash. As the military’s accountant, Garcia was found to have accumulated unexplained wealth amounting to an estimated P143 million from 1993 to 2003, with unpaid back taxes of some P35 million. He was said to have maintained 40 accounts in six banks at one time. His lawyer clarified that the "hard labor" sentence did not mean the retired general would be splitting rocks, but would be denied the usual amenities such as cell phones while in confinement. In addition to dishonorable discharge, his benefits were forfeited and he now faces a case before the Sandiganbayan to recover the millions.

Other stories that made it to the year’s list of top stories as polled by STAR editors included:

• Fil-Am spy Leandro Aragoncillo tagged in White House spying case.

• Miss RP Precious Lara Quigaman wins Miss International crown in Tokyo.

• Supreme Court junks FPJ, Susan poll protests.

• Five US servicemen accused of raping 22-year-old Filipina in Subic.

• GMA issues EO 464 banning Cabinet members, AFP and PNP officials from testifying in Congress sans her approval.

• COA uncovers lawmakers’ fertilizer fund diversion.

• GMA rallies UNSC behind war on terror.

• ‘CPR’ rally policy sparks controversy.