Alternative Philippine Website Plans More Cyberprotests Against Arroyo

CYBER WARS

"Hello Garci!" Download Hello Garci ring tone, is offered on the www.TXTPower.org website.

Manila (AFP) Jun 19, 2005
A website operator in the Philippines said Sunday the site will continue a cyber-campaign against President Gloria Arroyo to force her to break her silence on allegations that she rigged last year's polls.

Operators of www.TXTPower.org said they would be posting jokes that could be downloaded as text messages (SMS) for mass circulation through cellular phones by Monday.

The jokes center on recordings of telephone conversations purporting to show that Arroyo and an independent poll commissioner conspired to cheat in the 2004 election.

In the tapes, a voice similar to that of Arroyo is heard talking to a man about ballots cast in her favor. The opposition claims the man is Virgilio Garcillano, an elections commissioner appointed by Arroyo.

The presidential palace has denied any wrongdoing, but Arroyo has not personally denied she was the person on the tape. The whereabouts of Garcillano are not known.

The taped conversations, released by a former intelligence officer recently, have spawned numerous text jokes circulating among tens of millions of mobile phone subscribers in the Philippines.

Portions of the conversation can also be downloaded as special ringtones.

With 120 to 150 million text messages crossing mobile phone networks daily, the Philippines has been dubbed the texting capital of the world.

"More anti-GMA (Arroyo) and anti-corruption jokes are coming. We expect to post the first 50 text jokes by 1:00 am June 20 so media and the public could spread and broadcast them," said Anthony Ian Cruz, co-founder of TXTPower.

The stunt is meant to force Arroyo to "finally react on the tape issue."

Activists used text messages in 2001 to mobilize huge crowds that eventually culminated in the ousting of then-president Joseph Estrada. Estrada, who was succeeded by his vice-president Arroyo, is in detention while being tried for alleged massive corruption.

Arroyo is also fending off allegations that her son and brother-in-law, who are both congressmen, had accepted bribes from gambling operators.

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CYBERWARS

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