The Hello Garci scandal: Former Commission on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — There will be no goodbye to the Hello Garci scandal until the truth is out and perpetrators get punished.
Exactly twenty years ago, the Hello Garci scandal shook the nation. On Friday, Senator Grace Poe recalled how the mess allegedly deprived her father, the late action star Fernando Poe Jr., of becoming the country’s president in 2004.
“Mahirap sabihing goodbye, ‘Hello Garci’ hanggang hindi lumalabas ang buong katotohanan, walang napaparusahan at patuloy pa rin ang dayaan,” said Poe in a statement.
(It’s hard to say goodbye to Hello Garci until the truth is revealed. Those involved remain unpunished, and cheating continues.)
READ: Poe recalls Hello Garci scandal: ‘Pagala-gala pa rin si Garci’
The Hello Garci scandal involved leaked recordings of phone calls between former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and then-election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, supposedly discussing rigging the 2004 national election results.
READ: What Went Before: Saga of the ‘Hello Garci’ tapes
For Poe, it is imperative that Filipinos “recount” the scandal, as it serves as a striking reminder of the need to safeguard the country from such a mess.
“The Hello Garci scandal may be just a historical footnote to some with short memories. Still, a recounting must be made to put the incontrovertible facts to record and to serve as a valuable reminder not to let it happen again,” Poe emphasized.
Before the 20th anniversary of the electoral controversy, Poe had filed a bill to purge vote buying, specifically the buying and selling of votes electronically.
This includes vote buying and selling using e-wallet applications such as Gcash and Maya.
In her Senate Bill No. 2664, Poe sought the penalty of imprisonment of not less than six years but not more than 10 years for individuals meddling with such illicit activities.
READ: Poe pushes bill that aims to purge electronic vote buying, selling
“The specter of Hello Garci will continue to haunt us if we do not guard our votes,” she said.