Suspected bugging device discovered at telephone line connected to former President Aquino’s house; AFP denies it is behind the incident

By Ronron
May 3, 2007

A suspected bugging device was discovered last Wednesday afternoon connected to the telephone line of former President Corazon Aquino.

A maintenance crew of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) company who was conducting a routine inspection on the company’s cross-connect cabinet on Times Street in Quezon City found the suspected bugging device at past 3pm the other day (Wednesday), the company and police said.

The device was found out to be made up of a black box, believed to be the source of power, and a cassette tape recorder that was attached to the telephone line installed at the residence of Aquino.

Immediately, the PLDT advised Aquino about the development on Wednesday evening.

Yesterday morning, the former President was shown the device and was assured by the Quezon City Police District that the incident will be investigated.

She requested to have the cassette tape in her custody for a while so she could listen to what could have been recorded. As of yesterday, the former President has yet to play the cassette tape since she has no player.

“I challenge the government to bring to justice those who did this. If not, naturally, they will be the suspect behind this operation,” Aquino’s son, opposition senatorial candidate Benigno III, said in Filipino.

“Maybe, this is a result of the non-closure of the Garci issue, which apparently encouraged people to do that, violate the law because anyway, no one will be caught,” he added.

The younger Aquino was referring to the alleged wiretapping during the May 2004 Presidential elections of the phone conversation between a woman and man, purported to be then Presidential candidate Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and then Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

The conversation was interpreted by many as attempts to rig the results of the voting in favor of Arroyo.

An intelligence operative of the military, Technical Sergeant Vidal Doble, had claimed that he sold the tape of the alleged recorded conversation to a retired executive of the National Bureau of Investigation, who later exposed it to other politicians.

The scandal was exposed in June 2005, prompting many sectors to call for Arroyo’s resignation, including Aquino.

“This is a challenge for the State and the government, those who are in power now, (to solve this case) because if they can’t solve this one that involves a former President, our fellow men might have more reason to live in fear,” the younger Aquino said.

In a news briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Armed Forces Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said the military has no efforts at the moment to wiretap the former leader, saying there is no reason to.

Bacarro said the AFP only conducts wiretapping when it is able to secure a court order./DMS