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Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Malacañang presents 'doctored' tape
* Senator wants Arroyo spokesman to shed light on taped conversation between President Arroyo and Election Commissioner Garcellano on election documents
MALACANANG Monday produced two tapes - one allegedly the original and the other allegedly spliced by the opposition - of a series of taped conversations between a certain "Gary" and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo.
Press Secretary and presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye claimed Sunday that the opposition will present a taped conversation of Arroyo and a Comelec commissioner on alleged cheating in the May 2004 elections.
Bunye said they got the recordings from a source who he refused to identify.
Bunye, who made the Malacañang Press Corps listen to the two CDs containing the two sets of conversations, claimed that someone was tapping the cellular phone of President Arroyo even if she has changed phones several times.
"While we cannot at this time confirm the authenticity of either version, we can today (Monday) confirm by virtue of these findings another opposition plot to destabilize the administration of President Arroyo. This latest plot, by far the most devious and desperate, involves the illegal bugging of a conversation and the subsequent electronic doctoring, alteration and revision of that so as to introduce elements that were not really there," he said.
He said the plot will not succeed nor will it derail Arroyo's political and economic agenda. He added that the plotters would be brought to justice.
He said "Gary" is not Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and that Malacañang will present "Gary" "in due time." He said he will submit the CDs to the NBI for investigation.
Senate President Franklin Drilon said the leaders of the Liberal Party (LP) went to Malacañang Monday noon to have lunch with the President and express their support for her. He said the decision was reached last weekend.
Arroyo said in a press conference "there are segments of the opposition that want to undermine my ability to govern and even want to overthrow me and I will not let them, I will concentrate on my governance and I thank the Liberal Party for their support both for my governance and the stability of our democratic form of life."
She said she is confident in the loyalty of the military, Armed Forces Chief
Efren Abu, and "in the cool heads of our citizens to maintain and protect the democracy that they have worked so hard to defend."
Each set of conversations contains three conversations between "Gary" and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and 11 between "Gary" and President Arroyo.
What Bunye claimed as the original tape had Gary's voice very clear and sounding youthful compared to the other line, where either the voice of First Gentleman Arroyo or the President were garbled. The second tape, allegedly the doctored version, had Gary's voice as garbled as the ones he was talking to and sounding a bit older.
There were also discrepancies in some of the dialogues between the original and the spliced versions.
A transcript what appeared to be the spliced version was faxed to reporters.
In the Senate, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the Palace has provided the smoke gun that show the massive electoral fraud in the presidential elections of May 2004.
Pimentel, in a privilege speech, criticized Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye for making unfair accusations that the opposition would release a tape as part of an attempt to destabilize the administration of President Arroyo.
According to Pimentel, the tape's content is a telephone conversation of President Arroyo and Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano with regard the canvassing of votes.
He asked Bunye to shed light on the conversation since he's the one who brought the matter up for public discussion.
"The ball is in his hands. He may dribble it to kill time if he wants. Or he may toss it back to the position with the clarifications sought so that the dialogue could continue in terms more understandable to our people," Pimentel said.
The conversation took place on May 17, 2004 wherein President Arroyo has allegedly asked Garcillano to get copies of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) copies of municipal certificates of canvass (COCs).
Garcillano said in that conversation he will get advance copies of the
Namfrel quick count because the group is sympathetic to her. (JPM)
Meanwhile, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos said if there is indeed a taped conversation between President Arroyo and Garcillano, it should be made public to determine if there is truth to alleged electoral fraud during the May 2004 elections.
"As far as I know, I have not heard of it," Abalos said, adding that he could only conclude as to its authenticity if he heard the tape himself and if it had been verified as true.
When asked if he already asked Commissioner Garcillano about it, Abalos said "he just laughs at it and he brushed it aside as another attempt to prevent his confirmation by the Commission on Appointments".
Meanwhile, what Bunye claimed is the original version is as follows:
Conversation between Gary and Mike (Arroyo) on 08 1433H June 04
Mike: Tulungan mo sana yung loyal sa atin. Si Bobby Barbers.
Gary: Sige, sir, nakabantay na yung mga abogado natin.
Mike: Nag-file ng...nagfile ng parang annulment or something tingnan mo kung matutulungan mo
Gary: Sige sir...talaga namang aming inaalalayan si bobby eh...talaga namang sya yung atin
Mike: Oo siya, siya talaga ang atin. Tulungan mo sana
Gary: Ok
Mike: Thank you.
Conversation between Gary and Mike on 02 1156H June 2004
Gary: Hello
Mike: sabi ni Bobby Barbers meron pa raw syang..doon sa Lanao del Sur. Meron pa raw 7 municipalities pa.
Gary: Alin? Alin?
Mike: Meron pa raw syang 7 municipalities sa Lanao del Sur
Gary: Hindi kasi ang kwan dun sa lanao del sur 2 presinto sa Bayang, 4 na presinto sa Madalin, 1 presinto sa Kapai. yun na lang..
Mike: so bale lima
Gary No, no pero presinto lang
Mike: Ah precinct lang
Gary: Oo wala namang 1,000 eh
Mike: Ang impresson dahil a Columbio meron pa raw 3rd sya.
Gary: Hindi wala na yung Columbio nakasama na nung kuwan
Mike: Sa tingin ko wala na rin.
Gary: Ang South Upi nang ilagay nila na merong 4,000. Pero kahit ano pa wala pa rin hindi makakahabol
Mike: Ang Tawi-Tawi makakuha pa raw siya ng 750.
Gary: Lumalamang pa rin sa bilangan sa Tawi-Tawi eh. Alam mo talagang binabantayan ng mga watchers natin sa Lanao Sur.
Mike: Anak ng Putsa! Hay naku, kawawa naman
Gary: O sige tawagan ko mamaya siya
Mike: Sige. Tawagan mo siya kung pwede
Gary: Sige
Mike: Thank you. Thank you
Conversation between Gary and Mike on 02 1023H June 2004
Gary: Hello
Mike: Hello. Si Mike to
Gary: Hello.
Mike: Kung pwede ho tulungan nyo si Bobby Barbers
Gary: Oo nga ho pero mahihirapan na siya medyo malabo sya sa Lanao del Sur. Hindi na makakahabol sa Cotabato pero meron tayong mga abogado dun
MIKE: ganon ba
GARY: andito ho kami sa meeting ngayon e actually nag-usap na kami ni senator
MIKE: OK.
Conversation between Gary and President Arroyo on 31 2317H May 2004
Gary: Hello Mam
GMA: Hello saka yung sa kabila they are trying to get their Namfrel copy of municipal COCs.
Gary: Namfrel copies ho?
GMA: Oo.
Gary: Ay wala naman. Ok naman ang Namfrel sa atin. They are now sympathetic to us.
GMA: Oo pero it doesn't make sure (garbled) pero yun nga they are trying to get that
Gary: Oho we will get an advance copy ho natin kung ano ho ang kwan nila. Sige ho.
Conversation between PGMA and Gary on or about 01 2143H June 2004
Gary: Hello, Mam.
GMA: Hello
Gary: Good evening Mam
GMA: When they opened the ballot box of Camarines Norte it was empty.
Gary: This afternoon Mam
GMA: Oo.
Gary: Camarines Norte?
GMA: Oo.
Gary: I'll call up the supervisor tonight or tomorrow Mam. Tanong ko
kung bakit.
GMA: Si Carino?
Gary: Lisa Carino. Lisa Narino...She's not going to do that because this
guy is a straight guy.
GMA: It was empty.
Gary: I will call her up Mam.
GMA: OK.
Conversation between Gary and PGMA on 02 2229H June 2004
Gary: Hello Mam good evening
GMA: Hello. Dun ba sa Lanao del Sur tsaka sa Basilan di raw nagma-match yung SOV sa COC.
Gary: (inaudible)
GMA: Di nagma-match
Gary: Si nagma-match? Baka honest mistake lang ho dahil sa pagod at puyat ng canvassers pero nire-review naman nila e at pag may mali kino-korek nila pero kung minsan nagkakamali sa pagbasa ng municipal COC pag di malinaw. Nagbabantay naman ho yung mga watchers natin
GMA: Hindi nagma-match
Gary: Dapat mag-match talaga kasi yung COC galing lang sa total ng SOV pino-post lang ng canvassers meron naman ho tayong watchers na nagbabantay ng canvassing as Lanao del Sur at Basilan. Yung Camarines Norte transmit naman daw yung COC sa Senate
GMA: Oo.
Gary: Na-receive na ho nila lahat e.
GMA: Oo.
Gary: Tumawag ho kayo kanina Mam?
GMA: Yah about that Lanao del Sur at Basilan.
Gary: Oho naagkausap ko kami ni Abdullah dun sa kwan kanina about this.
Inaano ko ho huwag ho kayo masyadong mabahala anyway we will take care of this kakausapin ko rin si Atty. Makalintal.
GMA: Oo tapos non si ano tapos non si, Calanguyan meron daw silang teacher na nasa witness protection program ng kabila
Gary: Sino ho?
GMA: Yung kabila may teacher daw silang hawak.
Gary: Wala naman ho baka nananakot lang ho sila kasi yung kuwan
GMA:: Calanguyan, Tawi-Tawi
Gary: Calanguyan, Tawi-Tawi. Wala naman hong watchers tayo dun eh. Talo
nga tayo dun eh. Talo nga si Nur dun eh. Sige ho. Tsine-tsek ko ho.
GMA: Oo
Gary: Sige, aanuhin ko ho.
Conversation between PGMA and Gary on 06 1900H June 04
GMA: Hello
Gary: Hello Mam good evening tumawag po kayo
GMA: Oo sabi ni Teng dapat sigurado natin consistent yung mga documents sa Maguindanao
Gary: Yung kwan hindi naman ho masyadong problema yung sa Maguindanao. Pero ano ho yung tinext nyo kagabi na merong reports na ako daw ang source
GMA: Oo. Oo.
Gary: Pero pano san ho ba naman ang hindi ko maintindihan what is that they are trying to drive at with 120 days (garbled) establish ng (garbled)
GMA: Ok Ok baka siguro more shot in the dark lang yon but I'm just letting you know everything I found out para we can always make the appropriate remedies.
Gary: Oo Mam. Si Gen. Lomibao nasa Zamboanga na I had all the people around us talk to him so that they will be able to prevent what happened
GMA: Ok ok ok sige ok thank you
Conversation between Gary and PGMA on 1104 26 May 2004
GMA: Hello
Gary: Hello Mam good morning
GMA: Si ano, si Biazon nagbabanta kung madadaya daw siya papabuksan daw nya yung ano (garbled) tsaka Tawi-Tawi baka raw ako madale doon so
Gary: E baka nga ho
Conversation between Gary and PGMA on 1125 26 May 2004
Gary: Hello Mam
GMA: Hello, Hello
Gary: Hello Mam
GMA: Hindi kaya pwedeng ma-delay yung senatorial canvassing until after the voting on the rules tonight.
Gary: On the rules, o sige po mag-uusap po kami ni Attorney.
GMA: Kasi mabubungkal sa Senate e apra walang...magiging between 2 allies
ito siempre magagalit ang dalawa di siya magta-tally for sure.
(June 7, 2005 issue)
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