4 generals cleared of involvement in 'Garci' scandal

MANILA, Philippines - The Mayuga board cleared yesterday four retired generals of alleged involvement in the 2004 election cheating.

Cleared were generals Hermogenes Esperon, Roy Kyamko, Gabriel Habacon, and Francisco Gudani.

They were mentioned in the controversial “Hello, Garci” tapes, in which a female caller whose voice was similar to that of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo discussed vote rigging, with “Garci” believed to be then election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

But Mrs. Arroyo and Garcillano denied their involvement in the cheating.

“Despite undocumented reports dragging the names of officers to the alleged election anomalies, there is no statement from the resource persons directly linking them or signifying their involvement in any election fraud or anomaly,” the investigating board, headed by then Navy chief Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga, said in its report.

The Department of National Defense (DND) sent a copy of the report to Rep. Neri Colmenares of the party-list group Bayan Muna a week after Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin declared in a House budget hearing that the document “is classified and secret.”

Colmenares released the 15-page report last night.

“The board failed to elicit from the resource persons specific insinuations against these AFP generals to support the allegations in the (Hello, Garci) tape which may amount to their unprofessional conduct,” the panel said.

However, Mayuga and the four members of his board found that “to a certain extent, there were acts or omissions committed by some military personnel beyond the norms of professional conduct expected of them.”

“These acts particularly relate to the allegations concerning Col. Jose Gamos, Col. Rey Ardo and Capt. Valentino Lopez,” all belonged to the Philippine Army.

Lopez served as security aide to Garcillano.

Lawyer Helen Flores of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), who chaired the Zamboanga City board of canvassers, accused Lopez of allegedly bribing her initially with P50 million, which was later increased to P100 million to “manipulate the results of the election.”

“However, Flores stated that while she refused the offer, she did not officially report the incident. Neither is she interested to pursue a case against Capt. Lopez,” the board said.

As for Gamos, he allegedly campaigned for Ramon Gonzales, a candidate for governor in Sulu, while Ardo reportedly went around Zamboanga distributing leaflets for the party-list group Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy.

The panel recommended “further investigation” against Lopez, Ardo and Gamos.

It also suggested the creation of a study group “to formulate policies on AFP participation in future elections, including appropriate mechanism to address AFP election duties.”

The members of the board were major generals Raul Relano and Romeo Alamillo, Commodore Emilio Marayag, and Col. Caridad Aguilar.  

Gudani and Col. Alexander Balutan of the Marines testified before the Senate and were later ordered court-martialed.

In February 2006, their colleagues led by Marine commandant Gen. Renato Miranda and Col. Ariel Querubin staged a protest in Fort Bonifacio over the election cheating in 2004, resulting in a standoff with government troops loyal to Mrs. Arroyo.

Miranda, Querubin and other officers involved in the protest were later arrested.

Two weeks ago, President Aquino said he had read the Mayuga report and found nothing in it that would incriminate Arroyo.

Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes said he is also open to investigating possible irregularities in the country’s first automated polls last year, but said he does not see any (irregularity) yet. – With Sheila Crisostomo