‘Hello, Garci’ issue recycled — Palace

Malacañang criticized yesterday attempts in the Senate to revive the "Hello, Garci" wiretap investigation, saying it was a "heavily recycled issue" from which the country had nothing to gain.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the opposition had already "thrown… everything they could" in the first round of its investigation into the controversial audio recordings but noted the effort had not contributed anything of value to the nation.

"The worst that the heavily recycled wiretap issue could bring is already over, and our detractors would gain nothing for the national interest by kicking this dead horse," Bunye said.

He said the people had already grown tired of hearing the same controversy being replayed over and over.

Bunye stressed the people are now looking forward "to better times on the back of a strong and vibrant economy… it is time to move on."

The wiretap issue was raised anew last week by Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, who promised five more witnesses and new audiotapes would corroborate the charges of electoral fraud against President Arroyo.

In a radio interview earlier in the day, Bunye expressed his frustration over the efforts of Mrs. Arroyo’s critics and the opposition to revive the issue.

He said the opposition is bent on pursuing their political agenda without regard to the nation’s interest.

The controversial wiretap recordings were the primary issue raised against the President last year in an impeachment complaint before the House of Representatives.

The tape allegedly detailed telephone conversations between the President and former elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano in which the rigging of results of the May 10, 2004 elections was discussed.

Mrs. Arroyo admitted it was "a lapse in judgment" on her part in calling the election official but denied allegations that she sought to fix election results.

Garcillano, after going into hiding for six months after the controversy broke, also denied rigging the presidential election results.

Before Garcillano made the denial, the House of Representatives dismissed the opposition-initiated impeachment complaint against the President on Sept. 6.

The Senate, however, expressed its desire to conduct a separate inquiry into the controversy on the grounds that the wiretapping constituted a breach of national security.

Biazon said the Senate committee on national defense and security had already made preparations to resume hearings on the issue next week.

He said five new witnesses would reveal details about the wiretapping activities during the 2004 election period, and stressed the Senate inquiry on Jan. 19 would further bolster allegations that massive fraud was committed in the May 10 polls.

Biazon also revealed former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) deputy director Samuel Ong had turned over two more tapes to his committee, revealing massive wiretapping activities at the height of the 2004 polls.

Ong also went into hiding after claiming he had "the mother of all tapes," detailing the irregularities committed during the 2004 elections.

The two tapes — called the "children of the Hello, Garci tapes," among other colorful tags — do not contain the alleged voices of Mrs. Arroyo and Garcillano.

Biazon claimed "new voices" could be heard on the wiretap recordings supposedly detailing the conduct of special operations in the elections.

Bunye, however, called on lawmakers to consider the national interest before conducting a new inquiry on the matter.

"I would like to appeal to them to consider whether their actions would benefit the people or not," he said.

Bunye said local and foreign investors have voiced a collective concern that the Philippines could do a lot better "if only we would lower the decibel of the political noise."

Opposition Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, for his part, traded barbs with Bunye by maintaining the issue of wiretapping is not yet dead.

Osmeña said Malacañang’s move to question the continuation of the hearings would not "resolve the question of (Mrs. Arroyo’s) lack of legitimacy."

"(It) does not put closure to the Garci issue," Osmeña said. — With Christina Mendez