Palace not worried over ‘Garci’ tapes

Malacañang is not worried that the Supreme Court would allow the public airing of the so-called “Hello, Garci” tapes on the wiretapped phone conversations between President Arroyo and former elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

In a statement, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the ruling, expected to come out tomorrow, was no cause for worry since Palace lawyers told him the SC decision was only on the NTC directive.

“I think the voting was just about not scaring people in using the taped materials, or not to scare the people not to talk about the tapes,” he said.

“But let us just follow the bias of the SC decision. This only shows that the SC is independent. We have an SC that is independent and can be depended upon and that no unnecessary influence can be exerted on any member.”

In an article posted on its website, Newsbreak magazine said those who voted in favor of the petition of former solicitor general Francisco Chavez were Chief Justice Reynato Puno, Justices Alicia Austria-Martinez, Adolfo Azcuna, Antonio Carpio, Conchita Carpio-Morales, Leonardo Quisumbing, Ruben Reyes, and Consuelo Ynares-Santiago.

Those who voted against were Justices Minita Chico-Nazario, Renato Corona, Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Eduardo Nachura, Dante Tiñga, and Presbitero Velasco.

In the recordings exposed in 2005, Mrs. Arroyo was heard talking to Garcillano and asking about her lead and the vote count of her closest rival, the late actor Fernando Poe Jr.

Mrs. Arroyo later publicly apologized for her “lapse in judgment” in speaking with a poll official but denied there was anything illegal about it.

Reports said the preliminary voting at the SC, 9-6, was in favor of the public airing of the tapes.

The case arose from the petition filed by Chavez asking the SC to void the order of the National Telecommunications Commission warning broadcast stations that their licenses would be canceled if they aired the tapes.      – Paolo Romero