THE MILITARY deployed more troops to Metro Manila from the provinces in anticipation of anti-government protests after a former official of the National Bureau of Investigation directly linked President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to cheating in the May 2004 election. Lawyer Samuel Ong, former deputy director of the National Bureau of Investigation, disclosed on Friday that he had a "master tape" in which Arroyo sought the help of an election official in ensuring that she would win the presidential election by at least one million votes. Arroyo has kept mum following Ong's expose save for a brief statement from Malacañang, which said that the President did not violate any law.
"It is our duty to protect the people and the Constitution," Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Buenaventura Pascual said early Saturday, as GMA Network's "Saksi" newscast showed truckloads of soldiers from the Special Operations Command (Socom) in Northern Luzon headed towards the capital. The same report said that at least six military trucks have reached Metro Manila. Pascual said the Socom soldiers would help their counterparts from the National Capital Region Command (NCRCom), which had been on placed on "red alert."
The NCRCom has been deploying a Marine battalion each to the North and South Luzon Expressways and the Coastal Road, the main roads leading to Metro Manila, since Thursday. Army spokesman Major Bartolome Baccaro confirmed that they expected at least 13 truckloads of soldiers from the Socom but downplayed their presence, saying they are "parading troops" for the Independence Day celebrations on June 12, Sunday. | "Nothing to see here, wait for the parade, move along" |
Malacañang came out with two versions of Ong's disclosure in compact discs on Monday, claiming that one was the "original" while the other was "tampered." Following his exposé Friday, Ong appealed to the public for support and then sought refuge at the San Carlos Seminary along the area of Guadalupe in Makati City.
THIS post contains the 67-page transcript in PDF format of the full three-hour recording of the conversations that allegedly took place between Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and various individuals, among them President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her husband Jose Miguel, senatorial candidate Robert Barbers, and Rep. Gerry Espina. The recording also includes conversations with as yet unidentified individuals, including one who is addressed as "attorney," and another, as "superintendent."
These conversations have apparently been recorded by members of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines or ISAFP. The wiretaps were supposedly done on the instructions of high-ranking ISAFP officials. There are various theories as to why the wiretapping was ordered. One is that the officials wanted to keep an eye on Garcillano, to make sure that he would not switch sides and favor actor Fernando Poe Jr. instead. Another is that the officers wanted to protect themselves because they were being asked to help in the Arroyo campaign, and they needed to cover their backs by gathering evidence to show they were doing these on orders from above. Another theory is that the officers were aghast at the extent of the manipulation of the vote and wanted to record the fraud. | If true, Gloria stepped in it, big time. |
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