At long last, Garci appears in Congress. Chiz throws first questions and cuts to the chase.
Garci: "hindi ko ugali to throw allegations indiscriminately. Let me... (looks for his list)
Chiz: Sa mga tumawag sa inyo, mayroon bang nagsabi ng mangdaya kayo?
Garci: (Darth Vader type of breathing) That is already in my statement
Chiz: walang humiling sa inyo na mandaya sa lahat ng tumawag sa inyo
Garc: Loren Legarda. Juan Ponce Enrile. Jamby Madrigal
Hooting and howling in session hall.
Chairman: can we ask garcillano to continue please..
Garci: Lim. Gordon. Mar Roxas. Ping Lacson. Congr. Clavel Martinez, Alan Peter Cayetano. Escudero. Suarez. Fuentabella. Bungbravo. Villarosa. Sandova. Miranda. Roilo Golez. Zialcito. Falcon... (am missing names here unintentional on my part dunno about Garci).... Liwayway Chato, Eusebio of Pasig, I think there are still others whose names I may remember in the future. (Ayos!)
Chairman: Order! ORDER! as much laughter and hooting in session hall.
Chiz: ito ang napansin ko sa listahan ninyo. Bakt kayo tinatawagan ng mga kandidato ng buong pilipinas. ano ba ang special na talento mo. Eh buong Pilipinas!
Garci: ... I was just answering concerns about their districts.
(pause for sip of Starbucks, much satisfied and entertained as motion for everyone in list to submit an affidavit. Teddy Locsin saying motion is not proper. Chiz says in that case, Gloria should be asked to make an affidativit as well if motion is approved. I make a motion for the bathroom...)
Session suspended. Garcillano laughing. Congressmen grinning, bear hugging, excessive chumminess all around. May as well be planning their Christmas party. Ricky Carandang who is there says "there's a sense of drama over there. Whether or not the opposition can trip him up. It can be compared to the boxing match with Garcillano giving the first blow by naming people...taking Round One."
With Garci already saying he won't discuss the Garci tapes, I wonder if viewers will stick around for Round Two.
Starbucks.
Round Two. Ah good, motion is withdrawn with congressman of course, naturally and as expected, asking for time to explain why he is withdrawing motion.
Chiz: Bakit binukod ang pangalan ni Arroyo?
Garci: these are the members of congress who personally contacted me..
Chiz: gano katagal noyo na kilala si Pangulong Arroyo
Chiz: kung sa matagal, talagang matagal na okay I will stop there
LAUGHTER.
Chiz: Is your nickname Garci?
Garci: di ko po kilala yung Garci! (galit talaga) If you will address me as Garci I will not answer you!
Chiz: nobody calls you Garci?
Garci: Some congressmen, jokingly and in jesture, they call me Garci.
IN JESTURE?!!! Your honor, let the record reflect that Garci said IN JESTURE!!! heeheeeheee
No time to laugh. Someone waves his time to Chiz
Chiz: ano ang ibig sabihin ng protektahan ninyo ang boto ko. pagpapataas ng boto? pagririgodon ng mga opisyal? pagsisiguro ng ang testigo hindi magtetestigo. kung hindi ito, ANO ANG MGA GAGAWIN NG ISANG ELECTION OFFICIAL KUNG
Garci: I cannot answer the questions because there were so many questions asked.
Chiz: Ito ang simpleng tanong. Ano ba ang nilalaman ang gawain pag an isang opisyal ay pinoprotektahan
Garci: Walang sinabi ang presidente na protektahan ang boto...
This guy can be made to mention the President. He can be tripped up.
Locsin: What will the use of these conversations and their value?
Garci: nothing wrong with asking for help in connection with behavior of those in the field.
Locsin: How will banning these conversations serve the public interest?
Garci: I dont know whats wrong...
Rep: what helps your memory of names
Garci: waiting for time to come out helped me recall but I still have no perfect recollection of all those who called me
Rep: what will aid you in helping you recall
Garci: in my office before I may have recorded those calls. I don't know if those records still there in the office.
Chairman: Congressman that is your last question (ay salamat)
Rep: yes, how will you prove you never left the country
Garci: my cousin..
Rep: you have never gone to singapore, hongkong
Garci I have not gone to Singapore.
Darlene yields to Chiz. yey.
Chiz: sa tawag niya sa inyo hindi hiniling ni Arroyo na protektahan niyo ang boto niya
Garci: kung maririnig niyo yung sinabi, na di ko tinatanggap...paki tingnan kung bakit yung abante ko naging (some figure) lang. that was already After the elections.
Chiz: sa kanyang I am sorry statement sinabi niya na kumausap siya ng isang opisyal ng comelec. Hindi ba kayo ang kinausap?
Garci: dapat si presidente ang tatanungin dyan.
Chiz: ayaw pong sumagot sa amin eh. Inakusahan niyo si Zuce at Mendoza--- na partners in crime sa pagmanipula ng halalan kahit di sila opisyal ng comelec. Eh ibig sabihin mas kaya pa ng opisyal ng comelec
Garci: di ko masasagot...
Chiz: pumunta ba kayo sa Mindanao.
Garci: you are putting words into the mouth
Chiz: for the record, kayo po ba ang tinutukoy ni gma na election official na kinausap niya?
Garci: I'm sorry. I was not --- I accept that I was the one who talked to the president. Di ko masiguro kung yan ang boses ko.
Chiz: he refuses to answer allegations pertaining to the tape. How can he say he wants the truth out when he doesnt want to talk about the tape
Garci: diba your honor napagusapan na natin na di na paguusapan yung tape...
Rep: meron bang kahit sino na humingi sa inyo na mandaya
Garci: hindi ko masasabi
Rep: meron ka bang kakayahan
Garci: magandang tanong yan. Ako ay hindi si Superman. Doing that is like a Superman. Kailangan mo ang provincial officials. City fiscal. (names people need to pull off fraud). How will you do it? Hindi kaya ng isang tao katulad ko... I never rigged the elections. I was never included although I was dubbed to be one of those involved in dagdag bawas before. Sana naman katotohanan lang...
Rep: Nung tumawag ba si Loren Legarda, iba rin ba ang issue?
Garci: walang ganon. as I said before, hindi ko kayang gawin
Zamora: What is the reason for your not answering questions about the tape. This is not a criminal procedings. You filed a case and used the case as a reason not to answer questions.
Garci: Let the Supreme Court first decide on this things.
Zamora: in interviews, you mentioned incidents. in your exclusive interview withe Henry Omaga Diaz, you said that the president called you, but only inquired by her lead was reduced to lead of less than a million votes. Do your remember that
Garci: I remember that but I will talk when the supreme court.
Zamora: can you tell us if you were the person in that tape, in that instance
Garci I will not accept that I was the one on the tape because we were never given the original of the tape. The law should protect me , the victim of the wiretapping
Zamora: So you are accepting that you are the one on the tape?
Garci: I am not accepting that. but I hope you can show us the original of the tape. and probably I will be willing.
Zamora: how can he say he is a victim of wiretapping at the same time say he is not the voice on the tape?
Zamora rocks!
Locsin points out that this issue bedevils the hearing. No one has filed a complaint against wiretapping. No one accepts he was a victim of wiretapping.
Round two goes to the opposition, wouldn't you say folks?
Noel yields to Zamora. Yey.
Zamora: if you are the victim of the wiretapping. then clearly you must be the one in the wiretapped conversations.
Garci: I cannot answer that because the prerequisite is the orihinal tapes...
Zamora: Are you denying that you are the one on the wiretapped tapes?
Garci: we are not denying.
Zamora: Just referring to the May 24 2004 when you said she merely inquired that her lead
Chair warns lawyers not to coach Garci. Hala ka Garci
Garci: there was no acceptance of bugging and who bug it? why dont we investigative
Zamora In short you are prepared to accept one conversation but not 14?
Garci: might be possible your honor. I cannot even accept that
Zamora: If they were splice altered, then at least one is authentic and 14 may have been
Garci: The whole tape was splice edited and corrected.
Zamora: you were in mindanao and you have witnesses..
Garci: you are saying that its not mine. i was here half the time
Zamora: in your affidavit there is no truth that I left the country
Garci: majority of times I was in Mindanao but majority of time I was in Luzon
Rep Solis asks for break for lunch.
Garci: can we reset for another day?
Chair: I have not recognized you Mr. Garcillano
Remulla: Did you have conversations before and after the election period?
Garci: I can remember talking to the President only once. We never talked after the elections.
Remulla: Are you saying the government of Singapore was wrong when it said you were in Singapore
Garci: Already answered that
Remulla: You are invoking your rights under article 4200? So you made the case subjudice so that you wont answer questions
Garci: I did not make it subjudice.
Remulla: you are invoking his right under 4200 at the same time he is saying not the voice on the tape
Garci getting confused: I did not say I am invoking because of 4200.
Locsin: he may invoke subjudice but you can ignore it. you can keep asking questions. he can keep refusing. We just received notice from the Supreme Court! (Cool. breaking news) Congress being asked to answer in 10 days.
Congressman: LUNCH FOR HUMANITARIAN REASONS!
Galing! Suspended.
BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS: SAMUEL ONG APPEARING IN CONGRESS TOMORROW. "A few days ago, I was surprised to see Garcillano, giving interviews. My God! I thought he is coming clean! But by God, here he is again, peddling lies. Nagngingit po ako. Akala ko lalabas siya para magsabi ng totoo. Yun pala he's coming out to peddle more lies. Kaya tinawagan ko mga kamag-anak ko na lalabas. Gusto mo bang mamatay paano na kami. Pero sabi ko sa mga anak ko I have to come out to rebut what Garcillano is saying. They reluctantly agreed that I come out. After they agreed, I called by lawywers to make representation to the House and the Senate for my appearance today and tomorrow. I also gathered all the tapes from the persons I entrusted. I now have 4 master tapes. I have already given you a background on the two. It was given to me by technical sgt vidal Doble of Isapf. Handa na po ako na lalantad sa Kongreso ngayon at Senado bukas. The other tapes are equally as damning. gusto ko parining sa Senado.
ZUCE insists it was Garcillano on the tape and that he was beside Garci when he made some of those conversations.
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