Binay charged over illegal detention of Doble

Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay was charged yesterday with serious illegal detention before the Department of Justice.

Superintendent Wilven Mayor of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police told The STAR the charges were filed against Binay based on a complaint made by T/Sgt. Vidal Doble.

Also facing serious illegal detention charges is former National Bureau of Investigation deputy director Samuel Ong.

It will be recalled that Doble was presented by Ong at the San Carlos seminary in Makati City after Ong had claimed before the media that he had the "mother of all tapes," purportedly the original wiretapped conversations between President Arroyo and an official of the Commission on Elections. The Comelec official with whom Mrs. Arroyo speaks on the recordings is widely believed to be former commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

Doble, a member of the Intelligence Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, had allegedly tapped the phone conversations of government officials, including Mrs. Arroyo and Garcillano.

Doble’s wife Arlene sought police assistance shortly after Doble was presented to the media. She said Doble had sent her a text message claiming that he was being held against his will in the seminary.

A battalion of soldiers and police officers and Bataan Bishop Socrates Villegas later removed Doble from the San Carlos seminary.

In his sworn statement, Doble claimed Ong had paid him P2 million to corroborate Ong’s statement regarding the source of the tapes.

Doble said Ong told him that Laarni Enriquez, a mistress of deposed President Joseph Estrada, had put up the P2 million.

Doble has since denied being the source of the tapes. Enriquez has denied being the source of the alleged P2 million.