Category: Politics

Related story in Inquirer: Who’s Medy and why she makes things happen

by JP Lopez and Dennis Gadil

Former intelligence agent T/Sgt. Vidal Doble yesterday said a confidante of President Arroyo had offered him help on condition that he not testify on the “Hello Garci” controversy.

Doble, appearing at the Senate inquiry on the “Hello Garci” wiretapping controversy, said he met “Medy,” later identified as Remedios Poblador, at the quarters of then AFP chief Gen. Efren Abu in Camp Aguinaldo, where he was reunited with his wife Arlene and children Darren and Danica in June 2005.

Doble said Arlene identified “Medy” as the personal secretary of President Arroyo.

From ABS-CBN online:

Opposition leader Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday revealed that three people in the government asked for millions of dollars in kickbacks for the P329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp.

Lacson referred to the three people as “a Commission on Elections official” the “big one and little one.” The senator said the COMELEC official was supposed to get $55 million in kickbacks and $75 million for the “big one” and the “little one.”

He said that officials of ZTE Corp., the Chinese firm awarded the broadband project, were also asked to allot $68 million for the administration’s campaign kitty in the last May elections.

by Ashzel Hachero

Despite the much-touted anti-corruption campaign of government, 71 percent of Filipinos believe President Arroyo is enriching herself through corrupt practices, a survey of the Social Weather Stations showed.

Twenty-four percent said they do not think Arroyo was corrupt while 5 percent had no opinion, the survey conducted from July 18-20 with about 600 respondents from the Mega Manila area (National Capital Region and the nearby provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal and Laguna) also showed.

The survey, commissioned y the United Opposition, asked the respondents on their belief in the “involvement” of officials in corrupt practices.

Public sentiment is overwhelmingly in favor of former President Estrada.

That’s the reason why Gloria Arroyo and her minions are panicking over possible public reaction on the Sandiganbyan’s verdict on Estrada’s plunder case.

Survey conducted by Social Weather Station last month showed that a high number in Greater Metro Manila do not want Estrada going to jail.

SWS July 18-20, 2007 survey shows the depth of the Filipinos’ distrust of Gloria Arroyo

Net trust:

Joseph Estrada – plus 45 percent

Gloria Arroyo – minus 44 percent

Mike Arroyo – minus 64 per cent

by Dennis Gadil

Senators voted in a closed-door caucus last night to proceed with a fresh inquiry into the “Hello Garci” wiretapping scandal and assigned the committee on national defense as lead investigating panel instead of constituting a Committee of the Whole.

Following the caucus, majority leader Francis Pangilinan announced on the session floor that a secondary committee, the Blue Ribbon panel, was also chosen to join the inquiry.

The committee on electoral reforms will also join the probe as the third committee.

Update: Six senators in the mongrel majority join minority to push for reopening of “Hello Garci”.

by Regina Bengco

Malacañang yesterday said the revival of the investigation on the “Hello Garci” scandal that Sen. Panfilo Lacson is calling is “in aid of destabilization” and in aid of Lacson’s presidential ambition in 2010.

Apostol said he does not believe that the Senate probe is meant to improve the electoral process, saying it is “just a front so Senator Lacson could have a good publicity.”

“That’s in aid of destabilization, because he will run for president in 2010. (It is) as simple as that,” said chief presidential legal counsel Sergio Antonio Apostol.

by Ashzel Hachero

Civil society groups and the opposition formally launched on Thursday morning the nationwide campaign to “pressure” the government to allow detained senator Antonio Trillanes IV to perform his duties as a lawmaker.

Related links:

Tit-for-tat. Gonzales will use Aragoncillo case to silence Ping on “Hello Garci”

Doble said Ong paid him P2 million for tapes

Esperon: No basement in my quarters

Doble: ISAFP has mole in Smart

Kunyari deadma si Gloria Arroyo

Hello Garci started with dare over drinks

Smart denies bugging fro GMA

Villar wants Doble at Senate next week

Admin senators turn around and oppose re-opening of Hello Garci

while Enrile sees it an in aid of 2010

Malacañang yesterday said it will invoke Executive Order 464 in the Senate probe on the revival of the “Hello Garci” wiretapping controversy.

by JP Lopez

A former military intelligence agent, allegedly the source of the “Hello Garci” wiretapped conversations, has resurfaced two years after the scandal rocked the country and almost toppled the Arroyo administration.

Former T/Sgt. Vidal Doble of the Intelligence Services of the AFP (Isafp) appeared in a videotape played by Sen. Panfilo Lacson during a privilege speech at the Senate yesterday.Doble first came into the scene in 2005 when Samuel Ong, former NBI deputy director for intelligence, claimed he had the “master of all tapes” of the recorded conversations between President Arroyo and former elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano who is alleged to have spearheaded cheating in May 2004 to ensure Arroyo’s victory.