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In this Dec. 7, 2005 file photo, former elections official Virgilio Garcillano gestures during a hearing at the Philippines Congress in Manila, on allegations that he connived with Philippine President Gloria Arroyo to cheat her way to victory in the May 2004 elections.
AFP / Joel Nito, file
MANILA, Philippines — Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, widely known for his involvement in the controversial "Hello Garci" scandal, has passed away at the age of 87.
Garcillano died on the evening of March 29 at his home in Baungon, Bukidnon, according to a report by GMA News. He served as a Comelec commissioner during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Garcillano's name has been associated with the a scandal that national attention in 2005 when recordings surfaced of alleged wiretapped conversations between him and a woman believed to be Arroyo. The recordings, which came to be known as the "Hello Garci" tapes, suggested discussions about manipulating the results of the 2004 presidential elections.
Admission and denial. Arroyo later admitted to speaking with a a Comelec official while the votes were being counted. She also apologized for her poor judgment in making the call.
However, both Arroyo and Garcillano denied any wrongdoing or election rigging. Garcillano, on the other hand, said their conversation took place after votes had been counted, insisting that no instructions to cheat were given.
During the 2004 elections, Arroyo, who previously said she would not run for the presidency, won the polls with 12.9 million votes, defeating actor Fernando Poe Jr. and senator Panfilo Lacson.
Before the elections, she was sworn in as the country’s president after former President Joseph Estrada stepped down from office following the second EDSA People Power Revolution.
After his involvement in the scandal, Garcillano largely retreated from public life. He unsuccessfully ran for a congressional seat in Bukidnon in 2007 and spent his later years farming and engaging in community work.
