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source : GMANews.TV   
Friday, 24 August 2007 16:02
{mosimage}Six senators aligned with the majority supported Friday the minority's call for a Senate investigation into the "Hello, Garci" wiretapping controversy.

Senate President Manuel Villar, Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan, Senators Francis Escudero, Jose “Jinggoy" Estrada, Alan Peter Cayetano and his sister Pia said reopening the probe will lead to the closure of the scandal.

A total 13 senators are now backing the wiretapping probe.

Villar said he would not stop the inquiry on the controversial tapes, which rocked the country and almost toppled the Arroyo administration two years ago.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s privilege speech Tuesday triggered the call for the revival of the “Hello, Garci" wiretapping probe. In his speech, Lacson showed a videotape of former intelligence agent T/Sgt. Vidal Doble who claimed he wiretapped former election official Virgilio Garcillano and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
However, administration senators on Wednesday tried to block the investigation. The senators said the Senate would be violating the law if it would pursue its investigation using the tapes of the illegally wiretapped conversations.

They cited Republic Act 4200, which prohibits and penalizes “wiretapping and other related violations of the privacy of communications."

Despite their efforts, opposition senators and independent senators favored the re-opening of the inquiry.


An all-senator caucus is scheduled on August 28 to find out the legal obstacles in reviving the issue.

Villar said the “Hello, Garci" controversy was brought out again since there was really no closure on the issue.

“We better close this controversy once and for all by conducting the investigation," Villar said.

Villar added: “I strongly subscribe to the belief that the public must know the truth. The Hello Garci scandal is like a dark cloud hanging over our heads for so long. In many ways it has hampered our country from moving forward."

Villar said that the Senate as a collegial body will decide on the matter as a whole. “In the event a consensus will not be reached, we will have to divide the house to settle it," he said.

Alan Cayetano said he was “disappointed" that the matter would have to come to a vote when the practice in the Senate is to respect one another’s wishes on which topic to investigate.

Pia Cayetano said she believes “the evidence deserves to be heard so we could finally put a closure to this nagging issue."

Pangilinan, chair of the rules committee, said he believes that the committee of the whole has the jurisdiction over the issue.

Pia said that instead of debating on the legal issue of the probe, the Senate should focus on the fact that the privacy of communication had been violated by the very agents of the State who are supposed to be protecting the people.

“These involve serious issues that deserve to be thoroughly investigated by the Senate. Personally I believe the hearings should push through so we could finally put a closure to this nagging issue," she said.

Villar added that if majority of the members of the senators will vote in favor of the investigation, he will appeal to his colleagues to work overtime on other important matters.

The Senate priority legislative agenda includes the cheaper medicine bill, the 2008 national budget and the debates on the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement.

“We will make every effort to strike a balance between the conduct of investigation and the passage of bills," Villar said.

“While we view investigations as a helpful tool in crafting meaningful legislation, we also recognize the urgent need to enact laws that will address the needs of our people the soonest time possible," he said. - GMANews.TV
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