FPJ, Ping poll camps wiretapped, too

Now it can be told: Even the camps of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. and Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who were President Arroyo’s opponents in the May 2004 elections, were wiretapped.

This was revealed in two audio recordings presented during the third hearing yesterday of the Senate committee on defense and national security which is looking into the wiretapping scandal that has embroiled the Arroyo administration since July last year.

The tapes were dubbed "the children of the mother of all tapes" — the mother being the so-called "Hello, Garci" tapes, which supposedly revealed Mrs. Arroyo talking to an election official during the May 2004 polls.

Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security, said that Sgt. Vidal Doble delivered all three tapes to one Lito Santiago, reportedly the driver-companion of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) officer Samuel Ong, sometime last year.

Ong has submitted an affidavit to the Senate and a letter of transmittal stating that the telephone at the office of former senator Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan and the cellular phone of one of Lacson’s supporters were wiretapped between January and June 2004.

"The annotators of the two tapes and the annotators of the first (‘Hello, Garci’) tape are the same people," Biazon noted, referring to personnel from the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).

Witness Marietta Santos, Doble’s self-proclaimed lover, identified some of the annotators as members of the ISAFP’s MIG-21, a highly classified and technical group involved in monitoring the activities of the AFP.

Santos identified some of the "voices" on the tapes as Doble, whom she calls "Jeff"; T/Sgt. Ed Gando; a T/Sgt. Dave; a T/Sgt. Villego; a T/Sgt. Abando; and a man called "Tatot."

She also presented to the committee at least four photos showing some of the MIG-21 members whom she was acquainted with during her illicit relationship with Doble.

Honasan’s personal secretary Mira Dumlao confirmed that her voice was on the first tape while retired Maj. Gen. Rodolfo Canieso testified that his son’s phone was also bugged.

Canieso’s son, Ali Ben Rajah Canieso, also known as Bong, worked as part the communications group of the Soldiers for Peace and Progress, which supported Lacson’s presidential bid.

Also contained in the two tapes are trivial conversations with Dumlao (in the first tape) and Bong Canieso.

In his testimony, Canieso lectured on the capability of the military to wiretap phone conversations and the importance of the participation of cellular phone providers in wiretapping activities.

On questioning, Canieso said only the government can afford to purchase, acquire and use such expensive and highly technical eavesdropping equipment. Such activities include monitoring calls on landlines and cellular phones.

Biazon said the evidence is "pointing to the ISAFP" as the main group behind the eavesdropping activities. He said he does not believe that Sgt. Doble had the capability to do it alone.

Biazon also revealed that, based on information he had received, there were actually more than 20 tapes.

"There was not one mother of all tapes, there are several tapes," he said.

The AFP in question

The revelations put the entire AFP under fire.

Honasan was furious that the wiretapping activities were conducted during his term as senator.

"As we listen to the tapes, we come to the inevitable conclusion that the office of a serving senator was indeed wiretapped," Honasan said, denouncing further its impact on national security and the "tendency to force the Armed Forces and its agencies to take political sides."

Honasan was part of the policy-making body of the FPJ camp during the elections and he also served as chief of security for the former actor. He actively participated in the campaign of Poe.

Honasan said his mission then was to "protect the votes" of FPJ, including ensuring his safety at all times during the campaign period.

Senate President Franklin Drilon condemned the wiretapping of Honasan’s office as a sign of the military’s disrespect for the Senate as an institution.

Drilon said he would order the activation of the Senate oversight committee on intelligence funds to investigate the new wiretapping issue.

He added though that the revelation comes as no surprise given the supposed involvement of the ISAFP in the "Hello, Garci" wiretapping scandal.

According to Drilon the committee chaired by Biazon should look into the matter and take appropriate action.

"The military establishment must be reminded of the supremacy of the civilian government. They must be reminded of the rule of law," Drilon said, emphasizing that the wiretapping of a senator’s office sets a dangerous precedent that everyone must work together to stop.

Biazon, for his part, also questioned the credibility of the AFP and the ISAFP, which apparently failed to observe non-partisanship in the last polls.

Despite its blunders, however, he said he is unlikely to recommend the dissolution of the ISAFP.

"We would like to see it go back to the primary function of gathering information on enemies of the state, not the members of the political opposition," Biazon said.

After listening to the tapes, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile said it was obvious that the military organization was "a participant in the political game in the country."

"That is the worst part of this whole thing. It (the military) has lost its apolitical character," Enrile said.

Enrile, a former defense secretary, said the AFP should not allow its people to openly violate the law and stressed the need to uncover who was behind the operations and who benefited.

"We better call the chief of staff and do something about it," Enrile said. "In my time, I would never tolerate something like this. I’d kick the asses of generals."

Honasan’s suggestion is for the Senate to help put the issues against the military in proper perspective, although he does not see these latest developments as reasons for the military to reconsider its support for the Arroyo administration.

"The military, whatever it does, whatever it thinks, must be driven by the highest sense of patriotism and duty, not to any group or individuals... (but) to the Filipino people," Honasan said.