Noli backtracks, asks public to let go of wiretap issue

Vice President Noli de Castro on Monday urged the public to accept President Arroyo’s earlier statements on the “Hello, Garci!” wiretap scandal and to finally put the issue to rest. De Castro’s statement came two days after he urged the President to shed light on the controversy, which opposition leaders felt was a prelude to De Castro’s withdrawal of support to the President. The vice president also urged the public to widen their understanding on the issue, which nearly caused the removal of Arroyo from power. Mrs. Arroyo, said De Castro, has done everything she could to address the "Hello, Garci!" scandal. Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye on Sunday said the President already addressed questions related to the wiretap controversy and any doubt about the legitimacy of her electoral mandate. "We have gone through the whole slew of legislative inquiries, impeachment proceedings and media controversies impinging on this matter and perhaps it is time to put it to rest," Bunye said. He added, "We respect the views of the Vice President on this issue but we believe President Arroyo has already done her part to address it." The President admitted on national television of a "lapse in judgment" for calling an unnamed election official in 2004. The year after, Mrs. Arroyo survived an impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the anti-administration group Black and White Movement (BWM) said Monday that De Castro was merely finding the right time to withdraw his support from the President. BWM, which lists among its members the resigned Hyatt 10 Cabinet secretaries, said De Castro’s latest gesture indicated he is already seeing the "excesses" of the Arroyo administration. The group asked De Castro last year to lead the country under constitutional sucession as Mrs. Arroyo faced charges of rigging the 2004 elections. De Castro, however, said he would continue to support Arroyo. With De Castro's affirmation of support, the Black & White Movement call for the vice president's resignation as well. BWM said the political crisis would linger should Malacañang insist that the wiretapping controversy is already a closed book. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita on Sunday expressed optimism that any disagreement between the country's two highest officials would be easily addressed. "The vice president said the President can easily explain these issues, he (De Castro) said he is confident that she can clear the air,” Ermita said. He said De Castro knows that Mrs. Arroyo’s triumph in the May 2004 polls was a resounding victory that international observers, Congress and survey firms eventually confirmed.-GMANews.TV