• Home
  • About me
  • My Privacy Policy

Inside Philippine politics & beyond

For his alleged cover-up of the ‘Hello Garci’ tapes, it’s time to hold Ignacio Bunye of CB Monetary Board to account

July 20, 2011

Share:
Twitter0
Facebook0
LinkedIn0
Pinterest0

 

By Raïssa Robles

Today, Ignacio Bunye is sitting ever so quietly in the Central Bank Monetary Board, perhaps hoping no one will recall or notice his participation in the “Hello Garci” tapes.

It was Bunye, as the spokesman of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who officially brought the ‘Hello Garci’ tapes to public attention.

Garci - Bunye 2 tapes

Central Bank Monetary Board member Ignacio Bunye should be held to account over the 'Hello Garci' tapes

But he made the following claims during his press conference on the matter:

First, he presented “two tapes” and said one was authentic and the other doctored. He added that he had copies of both tapes.

Second, Bunye said Mrs Arroyo was illegally bugged while she was speaking with a man named “Gary” who, he insisted, was a trusted political campaign aide.

Bunye said the authentic tape would show that Arroyo was speaking to Gary and not to “Garcy” – which he said was the nickname of Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

Bunye told reporters:

This latest plot, by far the most devious and desperate, involves the illegal bugging of a conversation, and the subsequent electronic doctoring, alteration and revision of that conversation so as to introduce elements that were not really there.

After pronouncing the Garci tapes as the fruit of illegal wiretapping, Bunye warned the media that anyone caught playing it on the air could be sanctioned.

Several days later, Bunye modified his statement about his having recognized Arroyo’s voice on the tapes. Bunye said:

I am 98 percent sure but I may be two percent wrong.

However, former  Commission on Elections chairman Chairman Christian Monsod, who once personally worked with Garcillano, contradicted Bunye by saying:

The voice on the tape I am convinced is Garcillano.

Even Garcillano’s colleague, then Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos gave a startling admission to reporters that there was an undeniable similarity between the voice of the so-called “Gary” on the tape and the voice of his incumbent fellow Comelec Commissioner Garcillano:

There is a big similarity (between Garcillano’s voice and the voice on the tape) although I can’t admit or deny.

Bunye even came to Garcillano’s defense

Monsod revealed that he tried to block Garcillano’s appointment as Comelec Commissioner in 2004. He gave several reasons why:

Garcillano’s reputation, especially in the 1986 snap elections, is not pretty….He’s naughty.

Monsod blamed himself for reviving Garcillano’s career:

In 1993, he promised to turn over a new leaf so I assigned him to southern Philippines. My mistake.

But Monsod said Garcillano went back to his old ways. He manipulated votes in Mindanao in 1995 which shaved votes from Senator Aquilino Pimentel.

Because of this,  shortly before the 2004 presidential elections:

I called up then Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo, please don’t appoint this person [Garcillano], it’s not going to give credibility to the Commission or the elections.

But President Arroyo appointed him anyway as Comelec Commissioner on February 10, 2004 – just months before the presidential polls.

At that time, Bunye even issued a statement defending Garcillano’s appointment. Bunye said:

It (the appointment) was obviously being exploited as…an avenue for settling a personal grudge. We will not dignify this allegation unless it is substantiated by strong and concrete pieces of evidence.

Why can’t we leave Central Bank Monetary Baord member Ignacio Bunye alone on this one?

To this day, I personally believe that Bunye’s press conference was the start of a massive Malacañang Palace cover-up of the Garci tapes.

Bunye’s position at the Central Bank was the golden parachute provided him by Mrs Arroyo following that historic press conference.

Bunye’s good fortune remains a bright signal to all future poll cheaters: Go on, you too can get away with it. Don’t worry. Be happy. Be Bunye.

Tagged With: Central Bank Monetary Board member Ignacio Bunye, Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos, Ex-Comelect Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and Garci scam, former Comelec chairman Christian Monsod, Hello Garci tapes

Trackbacks

  1. Part 1: GARCI TAPES -Let’s refresh our memories | raïssa robles says:
    July 21, 2011 at 9:00 AM

    […] For his alleged cover-up of the ‘Hello Garci’ tapes, it’s time to hold Ignacio Bunye of CB Mon… Categories: Politics […]

  2. For his alleged cover-up of the 'Hello Garci' tapes, it's time to … | Pnoy Talks says:
    July 20, 2011 at 11:33 PM

    […] this link: For his alleged cover-up of the 'Hello Garci' tapes, it's time to … This entry was posted in Gloria, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and tagged central-bank, garci, gloria, […]

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist Then they came fof the Trade Unionists, and I did not out speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me— And there was no one left to speak for me. —Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)

Subscribe to raissarobles.com

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from raissarobles.com:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

This blog uses MailChimp as a mass mailing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to MailChimp but only for processing. Learn more about MailChimp's privacy practices here.

Christopher “Bong” Go is a billionaire – Duterte

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NmX1Px57cI

Find more of my articles by typing here:

My Stories (2009 – Present)

Cyber-Tambayan on Twitter:

Tweets by raissawriter

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Decline Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT