Palace ready for Comelec chief’s revival of ‘Hello Garci’ scandal

March 26, 2008

Malacañang yesterday expressed readiness on the reported plan of newly appointed Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo to revive the “Hello Garci” scandal to see if it has any connection with the murders of the two legal officers of the commission.

In a chance interview, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the Palace has nothing to hide on the matter and that it will support Melo’s

intention to press for the creation of an independent body to probe the 2004 election fraud scandal which almost toppled President Arroyo, after the Hello Garci tapes surfaced.

“Now he (Melo) has his thoughts about reforms in the elections. So we must respect the desire of the newly appointed chairman. We will have to go along and then as much as possible give the appropriate support to the new chairman so we can get at the purpose for which he said he would like to look into the matter. Whatever is necessary in just supporting his desire (will be done) because after all, one of the reasons he was chosen by the President was his his competence especially as he is an experienced member of the highest court of the land. Of course, we have to give it to him that maybe he can do something to reinstitute reforms in general within the Comelec,’ Ermita said, stressing that “We have nothing to hide.”

The Comelec chief however, was clear to state he prefers that the revival of the probe on the poll fraud of 2004 be investigated, not by the Senate or the Comelec, but by an “independent body which he failed to name.

Also, the probe plan being reported has little to do with the tapped conversation between Mrs. Arroyo and then Comelec Commissioner Virgilio “Garci” Garcillano, as the probe is intended to be focused on the murders of the poll body’s legal officer, followed by the murder of his successor.

The Malacañang official also disputed claims that any revival of the scandal would open a “Pandora’s box” against the leadership of Mrs. Arroyo.

“I don’t know whether it can serve as a Pandora’s box. What I am just saying here is that if the chairman of the Comelec says that, maybe he will have to look into it. Then let him look into it without being hampered by anything,” he said.

Ermita said the executive will just have to wait for the outcome of Melo’s plan.

Melo has been reported to be mulling the revival of the “Hello Garci “ probe after the killing of Acting Comelec law department’s chief Wynne Asdala last Monday by unidentified assailants while his predecessor, Aleodin Dalaig was also shot to death last year .

The new chairman is perceived to be an ally of Mrs. Arroyo and is expected by most to be protective of her.

Melo was appointed earlier by Mrs. Arroyo to head a fact-finding board to look into the extra-judicial killilngs.

He and his panel members also refused to make public the findings claiming that they did not have the permission of the President.

Only when the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Philip Alston, put the pressure on the government to make the report public, did the Melo panel release the findings—evidently with the permission of Mrs. Arroyo.

The Melo Commission findings, while pointing to the military involvement in extra-judicial killings, along with the communists, spared Mrs. Arroyo.

Sherwin C. Olaes

source: http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20080327hed6.html

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