Tiangco corroborates govt plan to spy on critics By: InterAksyon April 9, 2014 2:52 PM UNA secretary general Toby Tiangco: government has plan to use newly acquired communications equipment even for critics. InterAksyon The online news portal of TV5 MANILA – An opposition lawmaker Wednesday said he received information bolstering reports that the administration had planned to include leading critics among those covered by a wider intelligence net using German equipment worth more than P140 million acquired in late 2012. United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) secretary general Toby Tiangco said he is not surprised by reports that Malacanang intended to secretly watch the moves of the Opposition, as it has also received credible information similar to what was printed by The Tribune newspaper on April 7. “We also received similar information sometime in November last year that high-tech communications equipment worth $3.4 million from Rohde & Schwarz of Germany have been silently acquired in 2012 with the blessings of the DBM. Ito rin ang aparatong gamit ng US government sa kanilang counter-terrorism operation. At first it seemed like part of the AFP’s intelligence upgrading, but what bothered us is that will be used to spy on civilians particularly critics of the administration,” Tiangco revealed in a statement to media. Tiangco acknowledged the government has at its disposal intelligence units under the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), but said he found alarming the keen interest of the government in its critics. According to Tiangco, the alleged plan to spy on supposed opposition personalities and their families is a disturbing development that sends a chilling message to those not allied with the ruling party and concerned citizens who merely exercise their democratic rights. “There are grey areas in Malacanang’s jumbled statements—and we cannot simply dismiss this with a blanket denial that they are not monitoring the Opposition, which in itself raises more questions,” he said. SARO’s existence not denied Malacanang did not deny the existence of the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and even Presidential Deputy Spokesperson Abigail Valte justified the acquisition of the German-made P135 million spy equipment saying that there is a necessity for the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) to acquire it, noted Tiangco. “They did not deny that the equipment has been delivered and has been set up. They did not deny the creation of a monitoring team. The ISAFP could probably be right in denying involvement because based on the information we got, the surveillance will be conducted by another intelligence agency,” Tiangco pointed out. Republic Act 4200 or the Anti-Wiretapping Law specifically prohibits the unauthorized recording of all private communications, but with a limited and narrowly drawn exception for law enforcers who must first secure a court order, and if the cases only involve crimes against national security. “We can only assume that the purpose of spying and monitoring the Opposition is practically political. Someone in Malacanang would want to engage in political espionage to gain some advantage. We are again taken for a ride right in front of our noses. Parang bumabalik tayo sa panahon ng ‘Hello Garci’ pero ngayon pati mga batang anak ng mga kritiko ng administrasyon mino-monitor na rin,” he added. Related Stories:
Posted on: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 12:22:15 +0000