FINAL REPORT - Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

Finally, as revealed in the Garci Tapes – the genuineness of which Tapes have
been admitted by President Arroyo herself, her spokesman Bunye, her then
Environment Secretary Defensor, her lawyer Pedro Ferrer, and her National Security
Adviser Norberto Gonzales – the repeated conversations between President Arroyo and
Comelec Commissioner Garcillano during the counting of votes following the 2004
elections undeniably confirm that President Arroyo used officials and resources of the
Comelec, the Executive Department, and the military to falsify the 2004 election
results in her favor.
The contents of and references in these Garci Tapes conversations have been
independently authenticated through their positive declarations by eyewitnesses Zuce,
Gudani, Mendoza, Balutan, Dalidig, and Rashma Hali, and -- through their admission
by silence or absence of denial and the evasive reactions of some of them as well – by
the various key officials and individuals referred to therein, specially – officials of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Lt. Gen. Roy Kyamko 67
and Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon, PNP Chief Arturo Lomibao, DPWH Secretary and
former PNP Chief Hermogenes Ebdane, Comelec officials and personnel -- Comelec
Chairman Benjamin Abalos, Jaime Paz (Comelec Chairman Abalos’ chief of staff), Ellen
Peralta (Garcillano’s former secretary), Rey Sumalipao (then Lanao del Sur provincial
election supervisor 68 ), and Atty. Lintang Bedol (Provincial Election Supervisor for
Maguindanao), and Rep. Ignacio Arroyo’s Chief of Staff Gary Ruado, among others.
Following discovery of massive electoral
fraud in the wake of the Garci Tapes,
President Arroyo has caused the implementation
of a grand cover-up, even at the cost of the
people’s liberties, that continues to this day
One would have thought a truly innocent President, who discovers efforts by
opposition/military members to unjustly oust her from the office to which she was
truly elected through the criminal production and circulation of fabricated tape
recordings falsifying her voice (and that of other officials), would have moved heaven
and earth to have the culprits immediately caught, prosecuted, jailed, disqualified
from public office, and made to pay heavily in damages. 69
cheating” in the 2004 elections. While he hastily clarified over television news the next day that what he said was that
massive cheating (during the 2004 elections) occurred in Lanao del Sur only and that cheating was not in the form of
“dagdag-bawas” but bribery, nevertheless, Commissioner Borra’s statement is an affirmation that massive cheating
did occur in Lanao del Sur.
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who retired on April 2, 2006 (“Senga still mum on report on generals,” PDI, April 2, 2006, p. A2)
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promoted after the 2004 elections to Regional Director for the ARMM (tsn, Senate Committee On National
Defense And Security, Jadela Cruz, Ii -1, April 3, 2006, 10:43 A.M. 1)
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Even former martial law Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile is reported to have exclaimed: “‘My
god! We better call the chief of staff, the secretary of Defense. I have served for 17 years in the National Defense
and I would never have tolerated this in my time – I’ll kick the asses of the generals!’ Enrile exclaimed. ‘What has
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