Garci being held by ex-Arroyo Cabinet official

Controversial Commission on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano is now safely in the hands of an ex-Cabinet official of the Arroyo administration. Several days ago, Garcillano was reported to have struck a deal with government emissaries. The former election official whom former president Gloria Arroyo spoke to at the height of the 2004 elections, was reported to have been under government protective custody already. However, the deal with Garcillano, says several sources, failed because of several concessions being asked by the former election official.
Garci has not been seen in public since 2007, the year when the Hello Garci scandal was at its height. Garci reportedly checked out of the Chinese General Hospital and was never seen again. The last interview with Garci was with a GMA7 reporter in his farm somewhere in Mindanao.

Who is keeping Garci safe from government hands?

The source, who refuses to be identified, said that this official was responsible for the "security" of Garci during the height of the scandal. He is said to have supplied Garci not just with money but also with the needed security escorts and helicopters. He was also the one who provided Garci with the escape route when he was being pursued by the Senate and by the media.

When this official learned that Garci was trying to forge a deal with the Aquino administration, the official reportedly contacted his principal. His principal gave the go-signal and was given the green light to negotiate with the former election official. Their talk clinched the deal.

Garci, according to the source, is still somewhere in Mindanao. Another ex-Cabinet official of the former dispensation also visited Garci and expressed allegedly the First Couple's assurance of protection.