BY REGINA BENGCO

FOR Malacañang, the "real" closure to the Garcia tapes controversy is to end all talks about it, and even quoted the bishops whose intention to bring closure is to get to the bottom of the controversy that alleges the Arroyo camp cheated in the 2004 presidential elections.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said calls from Catholic bishops and the opposition for real closure to the issue means they are reminding those in government to put a stop to something that continues to be a burden on governance.

"I think the intention of the bishops is to contribute in bringing real political stability… that’s why they made a statement that it’s about time that we put a stop to the discussions on the Garci tape," Ermita said.

He said the case need not be reopened to have closure because nothing was proven in the two impeachment cases at the House of Representatives which centered on the wiretapping issue.

He also cited the recent ruling of the Supreme Court, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, which junked the electoral protest of Sen. Loren Legarda against Vice President Noli de Castro on the ground that allegations of fraud were not proven.

He said the PET decision indirectly ruled on the legitimacy question against President Arroyo because the same documents used in the canvassing of De Castro’s votes were used in the presidential race.

On Monday, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and the United Opposition dared newly named elections chairman Jose Melo to put a closure to the poll rigging scandal to restore the credibility of the poll body.

In response, Melo said he has yet to look into the details of the case but said he is open to it if the need arises.

Other Comelec officials said they would leave the fate of the case to the incoming chairman.

The Church-based election watchdog group Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) underscored the importance of giving the "Hello Garci" case closure, saying it has been hounding the Commission on Elections and the entire country for three years now.

Henrietta de Villa, PPCRV chairwoman, said it is important to properly address the scandal for the country to move forward.

"We should really dedicate some time to this lingering problem that we have in the Garci case. Kung hindi, para itong tinik na hindi pa naaalis kaya hindi makalunok ng maayos ang isang tao," she said.

De Villa said the demand for proper closure is justified as there has been no fruitful and conclusive ending from repeated attempts to tackle the issue.

"Most of people are still waiting for a closure for this terrible Garci case because some fear that it may be repeated in the future or that his cohorts might still be serving in the next elections," said the former ambassador to the Vatican. – With Gerard Naval