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Monday, June 13, 2005
Wiretapping, sedition raps readied against Ong
MANILA -- Police will file two criminal charges against former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) deputy director Samuel Ong for wiretapping and inciting to sedition.
Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman, said they would file charges of violation of the Anti-Wiretapping Law and inciting to sedition against Ong on Tuesday. Ong last Friday said he has a "master tape" containing conversation that would prove President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cheated in last year's election.
Bataoil said the filing of charges against Ong is part of their job to enforce the law and he assured the former NBI official of due process.
Ong has been in the San Carlos seminary in Guadalupe, Makati City since Friday after he announced that he has a tape containing wiretapped conversation between Arroyo and Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcellano. In the conversations, Arroyo allegedly instructed the election official to fix the results of the presidential elections in her favor.
Proof
He said he reproduced copies of the tape given to him by a member of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp) and gave one copy each to two military officials and a member of the clergy.
The former NBI official said the tape would prove that it was Poe who won in the presidential race last year. He also called on the president to resign.
National Capital Region Police Office Chief Vidal Querol said police will not leave the perimeter of the church compound "unless the media leaves." He said they do not allow mass gatherings around the San Carlos seminary.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the government will file for a warrant of arrest and a search warrant on Tuesday and serve it to the former NBI official even if he is still inside the San Carlos seminary.
"Our legal people are saying that the fact that he had admitted before the world that he has the tape, original or whatever he may call it...since wiretapping is illegal by itself, it is violative of the law. So the authorities will file for a search warrant and warrant of arrest and serve it on him by Tuesday maybe. And let the law, the processes happen," Ermita said.
He assured people that there will be "no forceful entry" of the San Carlos seminary compound as he said he is "very sure that our authorities would know how to handle that, how to serve the warrant."
Bishop Bacani
He said that under the Anti-Wiretapping Act or Republic Act 4200, the mere possession of tapes of wiretapped conversations is already punishable by law.
When asked to comment on Bishop Teodoro Bacani, to whom Ong claimed to have turned over the tapes, he said: "We do not know if that is true. We do not know what Bishop Bacani will do with it...I have no personal knowledge of it. It's very hard to comment on something that I do not know."
When pressed further, he said: "Let's cross the bridge when it's there already."
Ermita said PNP Chief Arturo Lomibao met with Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales to clarify Ong's situation and assured him that the PNP has no intention of storming the seminary. "We are a very highly religious people, we are Catholic that's why we respect the Church," he said.
He said the Catholic Church is not harboring a criminal or helping in the destabilization of the government, but just "giving sanctuary" to Ong, who sought the help of the clergy. (JFF/JMR/Sun.Star Manila/Sunnex)
(June 13, 2005 issue)
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