MANILA – Former intelligence agent T/Sgt. Vidal Doble told senators that a confidante of President Arroyo had offered him help on condition that he not testify on the “Hello Garci” controversy. Appearing at the Senate inquiry on the “Hello Garci” wiretapping controversy, Doble 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.
“Lumapit po siya sa asawa ko at sinabi niya na kung may problema, siya lang ang lapitan. Sinabi niya kay Arlene na siya ang bahala kung hindi ako magte-testify," he said.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, during his interrogation of Doble, said Medy is “actually Remedios Poblador,” an undersecretary in the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office.

Doble said “Medy” was wearing rubber shoes, T-shirt and denim pants when he saw her at Abu’s quarters. He said he would be able to identify “Medy” should he see her again.
“I did a little background investigation and research and I found she is the personal confidante of PGMA (Arroyo). Information has it that there are only two persons personally allowed by PGMA to ride in her car, Lupita Kashiwahara and Poblador," Lacson said.
Lacson also said Poblador arranged for a helicopter to fetch Bishop Socrates Villegas from Bataan to San Carlos Seminary in Makati City.

Doble sought refuge in the seminary in June 2005 after revealing in a press conference that he wiretapped the phone conversations of former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano at the height of the canvassing of the 2004 elections.

He has said he gave the wiretapped recordings to Angelito Santiago, an NBI agent who in turn gave these to former NBI deputy director Samuel Ong.
Doble testified that after the press conference, Villegas fetched him from San Carlos Seminary and brought him to Camp Aguinaldo.

He said Villegas asked him if he wanted to see his wife and children.
Villegas then led him to a black van that Doble said was owned by Rear Adm. Tirso Danga, then head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces (Isafp).

“Naka-hanger pa ang uniform niya sa loob ng sasakyan,” Doble said. “Namumukhaan ko rin po ang driver niya,” he added.

At Camp Aguinaldo, Doble said they went directly to the so-called White House, or the residence of the AFP chief, where he saw Abu, then deputy chief of staff Gen. Edilberto Adan, and Poblador.
Cayetano said Poblador first served as secretary of former President Corazon Aquino and then with Arroyo’s staff. Villegas confirmed fetching Doble from the seminary but said he did not do it for Malacanang.
“I wish to state categorically that I did what I did because of my love and concern for our distressed and confused seminarians whose building was trespassed and whose seminary rhythm and priestly discipline was disturbed," Villegas said in a letter to the three committees jointly conducting the investigation.
“I did it as a bishop whose main duty is to be a father to his priests and future priests. If there was indeed to be a military operation in the seminary to bring out Mr. Doble and Attorney Ong that day, I wanted to be with our seminarians and priests at that moment of crisis to assure them, to console them and tell them I was ready to die with them."

The letter was hand-delivered by Sen. Benigno Aquino III to the joint probe.
Villegas said priests at the seminary called him up in the morning of June 13, 2005 to seek his help, saying the presence of Doble and Ong in the compound and the media frenzy outside were causing disorder. Villegas said he also received a call from Medy Poblador that same day.

He said he asked her if he could help resolve “the ongoing crisis” at the seminary compound. He said Poblador also asked for his help and even warned him that violence could erupt anytime since the military was thinking of using force to ferret out Ong and Doble from the seminary compound.

He said this alarmed him. He said he immediately said yes when Poblador sought his help.
He said he was fetched by a military helicopter from Balanga City, which was arranged by Poblador, and was brought to Camp Aguinaldo where he was briefed of the situation. He then proceeded to the seminary aboard a van provided by Danga. He remembered being told by one of the military officials that they have under their care Doble’s wife inside the officers’ quarters.

On the way to the seminary, Villegas said he called up Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales to seek his blessings, who then instructed him to “exhaust all means to avoid violence.”
He said he talked to Doble in the reception area of the seminary and showed to him the mobile phone number of his wife registered on his cell phone directory to prove that he was “a good person.” Doble was also able to talk to his wife through his mobile phone and then subsequently asked that he be brought to his wife, Villegas said.

Villegas said he and Doble were brought back to Camp Aguinaldo aboard the same black van and were led to a room at AFP Officers Club where Doble’s wife and his two children were waiting. He said he left afterwards but reiterated to the military officers present that “I really did it for our seminarians and not for anyone in government."