 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2010) |
Virgilio Garcillano | |
|---|---|
| Commissioner of theCommission on Elections | |
| In office February 12, 2004 – June 10, 2005 | |
| Appointed by | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Virgilio Olivar Garcillano (1937-07-05)July 5, 1937 |
| Died | March 29, 2025(2025-03-29) (aged 87) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Alma mater | University of the East(BA,LL.B.) |
| Profession | Lawyer, public Servant, politician |
Virgilio Olivar Garcillano (July 5, 1937[1][2] – March 29, 2025), also known asGil andGarci,[3][4][A] was an official of the PhilippineCommission on Elections (COMELEC) who allegedly was involved in PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo's allegedelectoral fraud in theHello Garci scandal.
Garcillano was a 1960law graduate from theUniversity of the East. He obtained trainings—platoon leaders course from thePhilippine Army School Command, and career executive development program from theDevelopment Academy of the Philippines.[5]
Garcillano spent his career at theCommission on Elections (Comelec) beginning in 1961, when he first worked as a special attorney,[5] until becoming the regional director inNorthern Mindanao[5] until his retirement in 2002.[6]
In February 2004, Garcillano andPhilippine Postal Corporation president Manuel Barcelona Jr. were appointed byPresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo as Comelec commissioners,ad interim;[6] replacing Ralph Lantion andLuzviminda Tancangco whose terms had expired, and becoming the fourth and fifth Arroyo-appointed officials of the seven-member commission.[5][7] At that time,the Congress—where some of its members composes theCommission on Appointments (CA)—had been on recess for theMay elections.[7] Garcillano was first tasked by chairpersonBenjamin Abalos to supervise theAutonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and other parts ofMindanao in the elections, but was transferred to theSouthern Tagalog andBicol regions following allegations of his involvement in pastelection irregularities.[7]
However in 2005, at the time there had been news reports on what would be called the "Hello Garci" scandal where Garcillano was implicated, their appointments lapsed on June 10 after they were bypassed by the CA; no further re-appointments were issued.[8][9] Moreover, there were reports that Garcillano resigned[10] and had left the Comelec by said date.[8]
Garcillano's appointment was opposed by somesenators, includingits presidentFranklin Drilon. Sen.Edgardo Angara called both appointments unconstitutional; meanwhile, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said that the two can actually legally assume office pending confirmation by the CA, citing a 2002 court case.[6]
The oppositionistKoalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP), suspecting the administration was attempting to prevent the victory of the coalition'sthen presidential candidateFernando Poe Jr.—also an Arroyo's opponent, likewise sought the recall of the two which, along with another commissioner, Florentino Tuason, supported a petition seeking Poe's disqualification on citizenship grounds. The petition had been rejected by the Comelec and later appealed to theSupreme Court.[7]
Following his appointment as Comelec commissioner, Garcillano was accused by then re-electionst Sen.Nene Pimentel of the KNP, ofelectoral fraud that resulted to his lossin the 1995 senatorial election.[7] Among those allegations were the registration of fake voters in Northern Mindanao which he denied;[6] as well as his involvement indagdag-bawas (vote padding and shaving) operations[3] and in the distribution of cash to Comelec officials from the ARMM in previous elections,[3] particularly the turnover of₱1.5 million in a hotel inCagayan de Oro sometime.[7] Pimentel, in a letter to Drilon and Angara, asked for an inquiry to investigate the two appointees for alleged ties with theFirst Gentleman.[7]
Garcillano became one of the subjects of the so-called "Hello Garci scandal", a case involving allegations of electoral fraud which led to thepresidential victory of Arroyo inthe 2004 elections.[3] Arroyo had defeated popular actor Poe.[3][11]
The controversy stemmed from a 2005exposé of the phone conversation, reportedlywiretapped by the opposition,[4] allegedly between Arroyo—an incumbent seeking a six-year term,[12] and Garcillano—then COMELEC vice chair for personnel,[13] wherein the latter was instructed to ensure her at least a million vote margin[11] by manipulating the results inMindanao.[10] This revealed the alleged complicity of Comelec, military andMalacañang officials.[3][12]
Despite the accusations, Arroyo, in an address, admitted being the one talking to a Comelec official while monitoring her votes,[12] denied giving such order to Garcillano,[13] and later publicly apologized.[3][12] Meanwhile, at the height of the controversy, Garcillano reportedly secretly left the country[11] and was seen overseas;[12] but reappeared later that year in a jointcongressional hearing.[12] He later went into hiding inMalaybalay, Bukidnon, for over a month until his appearance in December 2006 somewhere inMaguindanao.[11]
In a 2005 hearing,[12] and since his first media interview inBukidnon after the controversy,[11] Garcillano admitted talking about the election tally,[10] but denied the manipulation.[10][11] He maintained being a victim in the controversy, claiming there was "no such thing as Hello Garci" because thepresident used to call him either "Comm" or "Commissioner;"[1][A] and the tapes, which he later described as "baloney,"[10] were fabricated by his critics.[1] Shortly after the end ofthe Arroyo presidency in 2010, in an interview withGMA's24 Oras at his farm, he added that he regretted joining the Comelec due to the scandal.[10]
Thescandal remained both one of the largest in the Arroyo administration,[3] and one of those unresolved.[11] Those involved, including Garcillano, were never charged as the five-year prescription period for the filing of cases lapsed.[12]
In March 2014,the Ombudsman indicted Garcillano ofperjury, referring to his statements in a 2005 congressional hearing denying trying to evade the inquiry and going overseas. It was found that Garcillano presented counterfeit passport, and went toLondon throughChangi Airport inSingapore.[12]
In 2007, Garcillano ran as anindependent forcongressman ofthe first district of Bukidnon,[3] but later conceded defeat while arguing being "defeated byblack propaganda."[4] He eventually placed third.[14]
Garcillano lived privately in Bukidnon since his failed congressional bid, mostly in his farmhouse, which also served as his retirement home, inBaungon. In mid-July 2011,TV5 reported that Garcillano was no longer in his Baungon farmhouse, but had moved to another location but "still in the foothills ofMount Kitanglad".[11]
On September 12, 2007, Garcillano was treated at the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center inSanta Cruz, Manila after abiopsy due toprostatedisease.[15]
Garcillano was married to Grace and died at the age of 86 in his residence in Baungon on March 29, 2025.[13]
