House panels insist on Garci passport cancellation

The five House committees inquiring into the controversial "Hello, Garci" tapes are insisting on the cancellation of the passport of former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, according to Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr.

He told ABS-CBN News Channel over the weekend that the government should grant the request of the five committees for the cancellation of Garcillano’s passport and not worry about his right to travel.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs should do it, unless the DFA is acting as Garcillano’s lawyer, and unless the government is not really looking for him. Let him or his lawyer contest that action on the part of the government," he said.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., on the other hand, said Garcillano is hiding in the United States and is now believed to be staying in the house of his daughter in New Jersey.

With this development, Pimentel also urged the Department of Justice to coordinate with the United States government in verifying reports that Garcillano has fled to the US and to seek US’ help in locating him on the basis of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between the two countries.

Under the MLAT, Pimentel pointed out that the Philippines may get US help to secure identified witnesses for the needs of the country.

Locsin, a Harvard-trained lawyer, chairs the House committee on suffrage, one of the five panels involved in the "Hello, Garci" inquiry.

He said it is not right for the authorities to be invoking the right of a person it is supposed to be hunting down so he could be brought before congressional committees investigating alleged election fraud involving him.

"That’s not their business," he said.

He said if Garcillano’s passport is canceled, he would soon start encountering problems in his host country.

"It would be hard for him to move around, considering how paranoid the world is in this era of terrorism," he added.

He also said he could not understand why Garcillano has fled the country.

"I don’t know why he is running. He could have showed up and told us it is his voice that is on those tapes, or he is not that person, or whatever," he said.

He said Garcillano could have invoked the Anti-Wiretapping Law like what President Arroyo did.

The former election commissioner is the central character in the "Hello, Garci" recording. He is believed to be the "Garci" in the tapes with whom a female caller, who sounds like the President, discusses vote rigging and winning in last year’s presidential election by more than a million votes.

According to Pimentel, Garcillano is technically a fugitive from justice since a warrant was issued by the House of Representatives for his arrest after he was held in contempt for repeatedly snubbing its hearings on the wiretapping controversy.

However, Pimentel also broached the idea of allowing Garcillano to turn state witness to encourage him to come forward and reveal the whole truth about the "Hello Garci" tapes.

"The problem is that a long time has elapsed since he disappeared up to the present and he may well be putting finishing touches on the tale that he is most likely paid to peddle to the probe bodies," Pimentel said.

Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Garcillano fled to Singapore on July 14, and flew to another country the next day.

Prior to the DFA’s confirmation, Pimentel had recommended that Garcillano’s passport be canceled in order to cause his deportation to the Philippines but to no avail.

Pimentel also lambasted the DFA for justifying its inaction by saying that a Filipino citizen’s passport can only be voided if he or she has pending criminal case or when this document was found to have been fraudulently obtained or tampered with.

Unconvinced with the DFA’s explanation, Pimentel was suspicious that DFA was part of a grand conspiracy to conceal the whereabouts of Garcillano and keep him out of reach of the arms of the law.

Last month, Mrs. Arroyo, in a nationwide televised address, admitted calling an "election official," though she did not identify such official.

Two weeks ago, Pedro Ferrer, her principal impeachment lawyer, said his Malacañang client had indeed spoken to Garcillano at the height of last year’s vote canvass "to protect her votes." Ferrer, however, later backtracked.

Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla, who chairs the public information committee leading the "Hello, Garci" inquiry, has blamed Malacañang for Garcillano’s "great escape."

He said he could not see how the former Palace appointee could have slipped out of the country without help from the Palace.

He said Palace officials, particularly Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, even misled the House and the public by telling them that Garcillano was still in the country.

The five committees have scheduled another hearing to inquire into the responsibility of concerned agencies for Garcillano’s escape. The hearing, tentatively set for Wednesday, has been moved to Monday next week because of conflict in the engagements of the five committee chairmen.

Not Through Subic, Manager Says

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT - The general manager of the Subic Bay International Airport recently shrugged off reports that Garcillano might have left the country via the Subic airport, saying this was close to impossible.

Retired General Marcelo Santos, SBIA General Manager, pointed out that only one plane left Subic on July 14 last month and that this was a chartered plane from Hong Kong transporting officials from top courier Federal Express.

"Only one plane left Subic on July 14, and this was a Challenger Jet chartered to fly out Federal Express officials to Hong Kong," Santos told The STAR.

Santos added that this flight was not a Subic Air Flight, but rather a different charter operator from Hong Kong. Santos also maintained that the Subic Air offices here did not have any scheduled flights on that day.

Based on the records and the manifesto of the flight, FEDEX officials headed by James Brigance and his wife Linda Brigance boarded the Challenger Jet at 5:15 in the morning of July 14. Other passengers listed were Tom Holland, Hsueh Chuan Kwong, and Tuen Hock Chun.

Santos revealed that it was virtually impossible for Garcillano to sneak out of the country via Subic because different groups like the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Air Transportation Office (ATO) maintain inspection posts for departing passengers using the Subic airport.

He also added that aside from these inspection posts, the airport has closed-circuit cameras strategically placed all over the airport that could monitor inbound and outbound passengers.

"I have checked all the records with outbound flights from that day and also recorded video on the CCTV, Garcillano was not in any of them," he added.

Santos also showed a certification he executed and submitted to the BI and the DFA on his findings for the airport’s operations on that day. He says he is also open to extend any assistance to any congressional inquiry wishing to inspect the airport.

Concurring Santos’ claim, BI Olongapo’s Alien Control Manager Roberto Pelia also stated that only FEDEX officials left during that day.

He however reasoned that BI could not have made a cover up on the manifest because of the strict rules on inspecting departing passengers. — With Bebot Sison Jr.