Villar: Senate probe will allow closure to Hello Garci scandal

Senate President Manny Villar today said while his colleagues have differing views on whether or not the Senate should push through with the reopening of the Hello Garci investigation, he believes that this could be the venue where closure to the long-lingering controversy would finally be reached.

"I strongly subscribe to the belief that the public must know the truth. The Hello Garci scandal is like a dark cloud hanging over our heads for so long. In many ways it has hampered our country from moving forward," he said.

"Sabi ko nga, parang pigsa iyan. Kapag hindi pa naaalis ang mata, talagang babalik iyan. Kaya siguro maganda na may closure na rin. It is like a boil that unless rid of its pustule will not completely heal. It is better to have a closure," Villar was quoted in a radio interview.

The Senate president said an all-member caucus will be called where a consensus will be drawn on the issue to whether or not the Senate will push through with the reopening of the Hello Garci probe.

"I have always maintained that this leadership will not block any investigation on any case called by a resolution filed in accordance with the Rules of the Senate," Villar said.

He added that the Senate as a collegial body will decide on the matter as a whole. "In the event a consensus will not be reached, we will have to divide the house to settle it," he said.

Villar added that if majority of the members of the senators will vote in favor of the conduct of the investigation, he will appeal to his colleagues to work overtime in order to act on its priority legislative agenda, including the bill on cheaper medicine, the 2008 national budget and the debates on the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement.

"We will make every effort to strike a balance between the conduct of investigation and the passage of bills. While we view investigations as a helpful tool in crafting meaningful legislation, we also recognize the urgent need to enact laws that will address the needs of our people the soonest time possible," he said.