Intelligence chief sacked for embassy ‘leak’

Call it a lapse in protocol.

Philippine authorities yesterday sacked a police intelligence official who leaked "unvalidated" information on a possible terrorist attack that prompted the closure of the Australian and Canadian embassies in Makati City late last month.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. ordered the relief of Superintendent George Gaddi as Western Police District (WPD) intelligence chief for telling the two embassies about the supposed terrorist threat without clearing it with higher authorities.

This led the two embassies to shut down on Nov. 28, a move that angered the Philippine government which said the threat was exaggerated and the closures hurt the country’s image.

Ebdane was quoted in radio interviews as saying he would recommend Gaddi’s dismissal from the service.

He said Gaddi should have "validated" the alleged threat and relayed it through higher officers instead of informing the embassies directly.

It was not stated exactly what Gaddi’s warning was but Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer earlier said the threat came from "Islamic extremists, fundamentalist people," who were "targeting specific nationalities," as well as the embassy itself.

The European Union mission, in the same building as the Australian embassy, also shut down as a precautionary measure.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople said in a statement that "the diplomatic and consular establishments are rest assured that every effort will be taken to ensure that this does not happen again."

"I believe that this sorry episode is more the exception than the rule and that members of our intelligence community are, on the whole, competent and responsible officials," he said.

Ople also said he intends to strengthen the lines of communication between the DFA and the intelligence community. "What is important now is for the appropriate agencies in the government to ensure the proper coordination and validation of information in order not to create misunderstandings between the Philippines and foreign governments," he said.

PNP director for intelligence Chief Superintendent Robert Delfin said Gaddi violated protocol in the handling of sensitive intelligence information, such as the alleged threat against the embassies in Makati City.

Sources said Gaddi may have leaked information to his foreign counterparts about an unconfirmed report that the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were hatching a plot to bomb the two embassies in Makati City.

Sources also said the information was relayed to Gaddi by a police informant, who said the information came from MILF and Abu Sayyaf members, but the information was not validated.

Gaddi, 47, is a member of the PNP Academy batch of 1983. Prior to his assignment at WPD, he was assigned to the National Capital Region Police Office as assistant to the PNP deputy director for intelligence and the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force.

Delfin also said Gaddi refused to acknowledge a memorandum the sacked WPD intelligence chief supposedly issued to his foreign counterparts — a document on which the Australian embassy based its closure last Nov. 28.

Ebdane and Delfin’s statements regarding the relief of Gaddi bolstered statements made by Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao Tuesday at Camp Aguinaldo that there was "no basis in the intelligence information that led to the closures of the embassies."

Ebdane has also ordered WPD director Senior Superintendent Pedro Bulaong to look for Gaddi’s replacement and the PNP directorate for intelligence "to investigate the supposed unauthorized and unnecessary leakage of unvalidated information, which resulted in the closure of the Canadian and Australian embassies."

As a result of the fiasco, Ebdane has begun reviewing the protocol on information sharing and said new guidelines will be issued to improve the system.

Fall guy?

Meanwhile, Gaddi was described as a "gentle and mild-mannered officer" by the officers of the WPD. "Gaddi is a very responsible officer. I don’t think he would commit such security lapse," a ranking WPD official said on condition of anonymity.

The WPD official also did not discount the possibility that Gaddi was a fall guy, "but, since the report was traced to (Gaddi’s) office, there must be a thorough investigation."

Another WPD official said Gaddi has "proven his worth when it comes to gathering intelligence information. He’s just good at intelligence networking, so everything will be done to remove him." The WPD official, however, refused to elaborate.

Even Bulaong credited the WPD’s successful operations to Gaddi’s sleuthing skills. "WPD’s previous works and operations were successful because of timely information (Gaddi) gathered from the communit," he said.

A number of WPD officials and personnel said they hold Gaddi in high regard.

Meanwhile, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina Jr. yesterday ordered Gaddi’s immediate relief.

"The relief (of Gaddi) is the preliminary move that the PNP has taken preparatory to whatever final sanctions can be imposed upon him," Lina told Palace reporters.

According to Lina, Gaddi faces a maximum penalty of dismissal from the service if found guilty of leaking unvalidated and unprocessed information.

He told The STAR that the DILG has been "quietly" conducting its investigations into Gaddi’s alleged breach of protocol.

President Arroyo said Wednesday that the closures were based on "exaggerated information," and that the police official who leaked it should be sanctioned.

"We have to find out if this (breach of protocol) was due to (Gaddi’s) inadvertence. If that was deliberate, that will be determined during the investigations," Lina said. "Preliminary reports point to (Gaddi’s) involvement in this matter, but what is the level of involvement, what kind of involvement, what are the circumstances? Those aspects will have to be looked into more deeply. We cannot judge this on the surface."

Lina stopped short of saying that "politics" was behind Gaddi’s alleged leak, as there were speculations of possible links between Gaddi and former PNP chief, now Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

Lina also announced he has set up a hotline at the National Police Commission (Napolcom) which the public can call to complain about "rascals in uniform" as ordered by the President.

The Canadian and Australian missions have not yet reopened but are carrying out their functions in other premises. The two embassies have reportedly said they will relocate and reopen at a safer location.

Western diplomatic missions across Southeast Asia have sporadically shut their doors following a wave of threats linked to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network and its regional allies during the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States.

Fears of new attacks have intensified since the Oct. 12 Bali terrorist bombing which killed nearly 200 people and a spate of deadly bomb blasts in the Philippines.

Many Australians were killed in the Bali attacks.

On Wednesday, the Japanese embassy in Manila said it had canceled celebrations to mark its national day and the birthday of Emperor Akihito, for fear it might become a target of terrorists.

The DFA has raised concerns over the Japanese embassy’s decision to postpone its reception for Japan’s national day and the birthday celebration of Emperor Akihito.

DFA Undersecretary Lauro Baja Jr. conveyed the DFA’s displeasure over Japan’s action when Japanese officials visited his office Wednesday afternoon.

Baja told the Japanese diplomats their action would adversely affect the Philippines’ image. "I asked them if they considered the negative implication of their action on the Philippines."

The DFA undersecretary added that he had attended four receptions for national days over the last 10 days without any untoward incidents happening during that span of time. "Only Japan did and it even came after the successful (state) visit of President Arroyo to Japan."

The Japanese embassy has announced it will be open on Dec. 17 and on Dec. 23, the actual birthday of their emperor, despite the cancellation of the reception. — With Marichu Villanueva, AFP