‘Garci’ hearing resumes today
The Senate will resume today its hearing on the “Hello, Garci” controversy despite the continuing snub of Cabinet and military officials last week.
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the lead investigating committee on national defense and security, said the hearing will push through as scheduled at
Biazon’s office announced that there will be “surprise witnesses” in the hearing on the wiretapped conversations between President Arroyo and election officer Virgilio Garcillano during the 2004 presidential elections.
The Senate had subpoenaed National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye and retired Gen. Efren Abu during the second hearing last Sept. 17, but they failed to attend, prompting the Senate to threaten them with contempt charges.
The “surprise” attendance of President Arroyo’s Cabinet men last week during the broadband deal hearing “softened” the senators’ stance to bring to court the officials’ excuse invoking Executive Order 464 in ignoring the Senate summons.
Sen. Richard Gordon, co-chairman of the Senate panel conducting the “Hello, Garci” inquiry, said the power of the Senate to conduct hearings has been sustained many times.
“It will have to go again on a case to case basis because in this particular instance, the Senate may go to the Supreme Court to order the President to (allow her officials to) come down here. It’s going to be the Supreme Court’s call again,” Gordon said. “There is no doubt in my mind that they must appear.”
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