MANILA – Analysts are still figuring out what made the usually docile Vice President Noli de Castro, who got more votes than President Arroyo in the 2004 election, to give the President an unprecedented advice on the Hello Garci tapes.
In a recent interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Vice President said the President should address the “Hello Garci” scandal in order to stem the restiveness in the military and some sectors of society.
The Malacanang-dominated House of Representatives, meanwhile, released the report on the Hello Garci scandal investigation which cleared the President and former Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano of any wrongdoing and accused the opposition of using it to destabilize the government.
Reacting to this report, the opposition announced plans to file impeachment proceedings against the President for her controversial proclamation of a state of national emergency in February. Analysts are wondering why De Castro has become bold enough to give the President an unsolicited advice. ARe some people or organizations behind his new found courage to speak up on the controversial issue? Is he laying the groundwork a take over and possibly call for a snap election if the President is deposed? Is he trying to distance himself from the President? These and other questions are uppermost in the minds of many who are trying to analyze the vice president’s action. This was the first time since
last year that he spoke about the Hello Garci issue.
Soon after he made the announcement, Malacanang said that while it respected De Castro’s views, there was no need to further explain the Hello Garci tapes which is now a dead issue. Palace spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the President had already sufficiently explained everything there was in the Garci Tapes and the House had squelched any move to impeach her on this and other issues.
A few days later, the Vice President was asked by the President to join her in her visit to Nueva Ecija and other provinces. The vice president said in the interview it was time fo the President to address the “Hello Garci” scandal in order to stem the restiveness in some sectors of society, particularly the military. De Castro said he was confident that the President would be able to
fully explain to the people her side in the matter. He expressed the belief that it was not Ms Arroyo’s intention to skirt the issue, but that emotions were running high when the wiretapping controversy first broke out.
