Ignacio Bunye ended his term as press secretary last June 16 with a rendition of his favorite song, “My Way.” But he left an unfinished business.
In June 2005, Bunye “revealed” a supposed plot of the opposition to “destabilize” the Arroyo government. Here’s INQUIRER.net’s account:
Preempting the political opposition, Bunye on June 6, 2005 played two CDs of supposed telephone conversations between Arroyo and then election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, about an alleged attempt to rig the May 2004 elections, which came to be known as the “Hello Garci” tapes.
Bunye told the nation then that he had evidence that the President’s alleged wiretapped conversation[s] with Garcillano were a fabrication, because the conversation was actually between Arroyo and a certain political aide named “Gary.”
Arroyo subsequently admitted talking to a Comelec commissioner — not to a certain Gary — and apologized to the people for doing so. The middle class and the bishops forgave her, and Bunye’s version of the “Hello Garci” story was never brought up again.