Ping will apologize to GMA if…

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said he would call for a withdrawal of the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo and personally apologize to her if the audio recordings in which she was allegedly heard conspiring to rig last year’s presidential election are determined to be fabricated.

"We will apologize to the President if the tapes are indeed altered. But if they are genuine, the President should also do something. She should issue a complete apology to the Filipino people," Lacson said.

Lacson made the statement following a press conference by Environment Secretary Michael Defensor in which he announced that an American sound analysis expert had found the recordings to be "digitally altered."

While not doubting the expertise of analyst Barry Dickey, Lacson said it was possible that Defensor had sent an altered copy of the original recordings, which Lacson claims are in his possession.

Lacson suggested that he and Defensor submit their respective copies to Dickey as well as to a sound analysis firm in Australia, which last June analyzed Lacson’s copy.

The company, UniQuest Pty Ltd of the University of Queensland, found the recordings to be genuine, according to Lacson.

Defensor has accepted Lacson’s challenge. No date for the joint analysis has been set.

Opposition congressmen reiterated yesterday their offer to resign from the House if the audio recordings were proven to be fake.

Deputy Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and four colleagues stood by their offer following Defensor’s claim. They had taken on Defensor’s challenge a month ago. But if the tapes are proven to be authentic, Mrs. Arroyo would resign, Defensor had said.

"We can agree on one foreign authentication agency and have it examine the three-hour tapes that are in the possession of five House committees" that conducted an inquiry into the recordings, Cayetano said.

He added that Defensor’s claim yesterday was proof that Mrs. Arroyo was "engaging in double-talk and is confusing the public on the Garci recordings."

Cayetano noted that Mrs. Arroyo had earlier said the recordings could not be used as evidence in the impeachment proceedings since illegally-obtained recordings violate the Anti-Wiretapping Law.

Echoing their resignation offer, Rep. Joel Villanueva of party-list group Citizens Battle Against Corruption said "unlike Defensor, we are not fond of urong-sulong (charge-retreat)."

"After challenging us to resign, he inexplicably could not be found. He was later rebuffed and disowned by his Palace bosses," Villanueva said.

Arroyo allies, on the other hand, said Dickey’s findings may have dealt a heavy blow to the impeachment complaint.

"If the finding by the American voice expert that the ‘Hello, Garci’ CD has been spliced will stand test and scrutiny, then the impeachment complaint has suffered a fatal blow," said Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Majority Leader Prospero Nograles and congressmen Edwin Uy of Isabela and Eduardo Veloso of Leyte said the recordings should not be admitted as evidence in the impeachment proceedings.

Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla, whose committee had conducted an inquiry into the recordings along with four other committees, doubted Dickey’s conclusions.

He said he did not know if Defensor’s copy of the recordings is among those that were examined during the inquiry. "Mike did not request a copy. His source is not us."

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. accused Defensor yesterday of a cover-up.

"The announcement of Secretary Defensor falls in line exactly with the lies that the administration is peddling to cover up for the misdeeds of the President," he said. "It is obvious that the administration will go to all lengths to provide an excuse for the misdeeds of the President." — With Jess Diaz, Christina Mendez, Jose Rodel Clapano