Chavit welcomes wiretapping raps

Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson said yesterday he is willing to face wiretapping charges for exposing detained former President Joseph Estrada’s alleged assassination plot against President Arroyo, but only if opposition congressmen will also be indicted.

In a telephone interview with The STAR, Singson expressed no objection to the statement of Secretary Raul Gonzalez that, just like opposition leaders, he could be held liable for violating Republic Act 4200 or the Anti-Wiretapping Law.

Singson added that congressmen and even those in the media possessing copies of the controversial CDs containing alleged cheating schemes involving Mrs. Arroyo and a former election official should face similar raps.

"Okay lang sa akin basta isama lahat, pati si (Estrada lawyer Allan) Paguia, pati mga congressmen at media na may hawak ng CD. Dapat i-waive ng mga congressmen ang immunity nila (It’s okay with me if I’m charged as long as Paguia, the congressmen and mediamen holding the CD are charged as well. Congressmen should waive their legal immunity," Singson said.

"Mas marami, mas masaya. Duon kami mag tong-its sa loob ng kulungan (The more the merrier. And we will all play card games inside prison)," he cracked.

At a press conference Friday at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City, Singson bared recordings of alleged phone conversations in which Estrada purportedly conspired with his former Armed Forces chief to have Mrs. Arroyo and former President Ramos killed last year.

Singson is an ally of Mrs. Arroyo and is a nemesis of her predecessor, whom he accused of being the lord of all jueteng lords in accusations that led to his eventual ouster. Singson is also the prosecution’s star witness in an ongoing plunder case filed by the government against Estrada in April 2001.

Gonzalez said Singson and Paguia were "equally liable," although the lawyer of Estrada is reportedly off the hook after former senator Francisco Tatad came forward to admit he was the source of the so-called "Gloriagate" tapes.

Tatad said he had turned the tapes over to Paguia for "legal study."

"The bottom line is the law has been violated. The law provides that anyone who was in possession of the wiretapped material or who distributes or plays it is also liable. Everybody should be held liable if they didn’t follow the law," the DOJ chief stressed.

Gonzalez then directed the National Bureau of Investigation to have the tapes analyzed by experts, although he reiterated that the Paguia tapes must be authenticated first before Singson’s so-called

"X-tapes" can be examined.

Meanwhile, as far as Singson is concerned, the family name of Estrada’s lead counsel, Rene Saguisag, stands for something more sinister than what it means in the Filipino language.

The word "saguisag" translates to "symbol" in English.

But for Singson, the Estrada lawyer is a "symbol of lies (saguisag siya ng kasinungalingan)."

Estrada’s nemesis punned on the former senator’s name in reaction to Saguisag’s statement over the weekend in which he called Singson the late comedian "Cachupoy."

The star witness in the plunder case against deposed President Estrada said Saguisag and his witness, Chief Inspector Joseph Quion, were lying when they disputed his claim that police attempted to ambush him when they flagged down his vehicle in Manila in Oct. 2000.

That incident led to Singson’s revelations that Estrada pocketed millions from the illegal numbers game jueteng. The accusation controversy snowballed into massive corruption charges against Estrada resulting in his ouster in 2001.

"They’re lying. That’s inconsistent with my testimony," Singson said. He said Saguisag’s attacks against him are "becoming too personal."

Quion, the defense panel’s 54th witness in the Estrada plunder trial, testified before the Sandiganbayan that contrary to Singson’s claim of a failed ambush, elements of the Traffic Management Group only flagged down his vehicle because he had run a red light.

Narrating from accounts relayed to him by those who apprehended Singson, the police official said it was only "chance" that the GMC Suburban with plate number UPE-331 was flagged down at the corner of UN Avenue and San Marcelino street in Ermita, Manila.

"They saw this heavily tinted vehicle with a blinker at the corner of Kalaw street and Taft Avenue," Quion said, adding that a radio request for "backup" brought two more police cars that eventually stopped the vehicle near the Western Police District headquarters.

Quion also revealed the traffic policemen concerned decided "not to let go" of Singson because they "felt slighted" when he refused to step down from his vehicle. Citations for running the red light and

possession of blinkers were subsequently issued to Singson at the WPD.

Saguisag and his colleague Jose Flaminiano sought to show the anti-graft court that, contrary to Singson’s claims, the traffic incident was not an attempt to ambush him but was only a legitimate police operation.