SENATE SETS 'HELLO GARCI' WIRETAP PROBE; AFP GENERALS NO SHOW
MANILA, September 28, 2005 (STAR) By Christina Mendez - The Senate begins today its initial hearings on President Arroyo’s controversial wiretapped conversations with a purported election official during the vote count of the May 10, 2004 elections.Citing a possible breach of national security, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the committee on national defense and security, stressed the need for a congressional inquiry over the issue and the status of the investigation by the military over the incident.
"I consider this a serious breach to national security. We have to raise questions. Who wiretapped the President and (for) what purpose? What is the government doing about this? Is the government investigating this? And if, indeed, it is investigating this, what is the result of the investigation?" he asked.
Biazon said the military top brass must explain why the wiretapping occurred and why the President herself was the victim of electronic eavesdropping.
He said the Senate investigation would focus on the country’s vulnerability to such breaches since the President herself was the subject of a wiretapping operation.
Among those summoned to appear before the committee are Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Generoso Senga; Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, AFP Inspector General Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga, ; deputy chief of staff for intelligence Rear Admiral Tirso Danga, Brig. Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) chief Brig. Gen. Marlu Quevedo, Philippine Military Academy (PMA) assistant superintendent Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani, and Col. Alexander Balutan, assistant commandant of the PMA Corps of Cadets.
Biazon said he will also raise the involvement of four senior military officers in the so-called "Hello, Garci" tapes.
"Garci" is the name of an election official — allegedly former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Virgilio Garcillano — referred to in the recordings.
The four generals who were investigated after their names were linked to the Garci tapes are Gudani, Esperon, former Southern Command chief Roy Kyamko, and former Task Force Comet chief Gabriel Habacon.
Gudani was then 2nd Marine Brigade chief before he was transferred to the PMA.
Biazon said the military officers will be asked whether they were used, or if they allowed themselves to be used as instruments in the alleged election fraud last year.
The former AFP chief stressed the incident has raised serious concerns among the ranks of the Armed Forces.
Biazon claimed many middle-grade officers have expressed concern over the reported involvement of some of their senior officers in the alleged poll cheating last year.
Military intelligence officers are suspected of conducting the wiretapping before the votes were counted, but military officials have denied this. — With AP
Military generals no-show at Senate probe on wiretapping 09/28 2:03:21 PM
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff General Generoso Senga and most of the top military officers were a no-show Wednesday at the Senate's initial hearings on President Gloria Arroyo’s controversial wiretapped conversations with a purported election official during the vote count of the May 10, 2004 elections.
However, Philippine Military Academy (PMA) assistant superintendent Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani, and Col. Alexander Balutan, assistant commandant of the PMA Corps of Cadets, made an appearance before the committee on national defense and security chaired by Senator Rodolfo Biazon.
Speaking before the committee, Gudani alleged that the military generals' non-appearance was due to an order by Pres. Arroyo.
The Senate is currently investigating the involvement of four senior military officers in the so-called "Hello, Garci" tapes.
"Garci" is the name of an election official — allegedly former Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Virgilio Garcillano — referred to in the recordings.
The four generals who were investigated after their names were linked to the Garci tapes are Gudani, Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Espero, former Southern Command chief Roy Kyamko, and former Task Force Comet chief Gabriel Habacon.
Gudani was then 2nd Marine Brigade chief before he was transferred to the PMA.
Biazon said the military officers will be asked whether they were used, or if they allowed themselves to be used as instruments in the alleged election fraud last year.
Aside from Generals Senga and Esperon, AFP Inspector General Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga, deputy chief of staff for intelligence Rear Admiral Tirso Danga, and Brig. Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) chief Brig. Gen. Marlu Quevedo were also invited.
Two military officers who testified at Senate probe sacked 09/28 2:46:32 PM
The chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Wednesday has ordered the relief of two military officers from their post and court-martial proceedings be brought agains them for defying an order by President Gloria Arroyo.
AFP General Generoso Senga gave this order specifically against Philippine Military Academy (PMA) assistant superintendent Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani and Col. Alexander Balutan, assistant commandant of the PMA Corps of Cadets.
Generals Gudani and Balutan had appeared before a Senate committee investigating the controversial wiretapped conversations between Pres. Arroyo with a purported election official during the vote count of the May 2004 elections supposedly despite a presidential order to the contrary.
Gudani claimed Wednesday that he had witnessed the transport by government officials via military chopper of huge sums of money during the national elections last year. Gudani had later been relieved as commander of the 1st Marine Brigade in Lanao del Sur province, in southern Mindanao during the said polls.
On the other hand, Balutan said Gudani’s replacement had ordered him to support administration candidates. Balutan was then a battalion commander under the 1st Marine Brigade then.
Speaking before the committee on national defense and security chaired by Senator Rodolfo Biazon, Gudani alleged that the military generals' non-appearance before the hearing was due to an order by Pres. Arroyo.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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