Biazon: Other political officials were bugged too

From Malaya:

WIRETAPPING by the Intelligence Service of the AFP (Isafp) started in January 2004 and targeted a number of prominent people, including a then incumbent senator and a retired general, according to Sen. Rodolfo Biazon.

Biazon, in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) Thursday night, said he listened to three additional tape recordings forwarded to him by Samuel Ong, former NBI deputy director for intelligence, shortly before last week’s hearing of his committee into the national security component of the "Hello Garci" scandal.

Biazon is chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security which is looking into the alleged participation of four generals in the alleged rigging of the May 2004 polls to ensure President Arroyo’s victory.

He said among the conversations he heard were those between the senator and the general.

"Nothing controversial ang pinag-uusapan nila. Ang controversial kung sino-sino sila," Biazon said.

Biazon refused to name the two personalities but said the senator was a member of the opposition bloc. "He did not run in the 2004 elections," he said.

Biazon said the conversations in the three additional tapes did not include any between President Arroyo and former elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

"Those conversations are in the mother of all tapes," he said.

Biazon said conversations in the "mother of all tapes" started in May and lasted until mid-June while those in the three additional states ran from January to April 2004.

"This only shows that the wiretappings started way before the May 2004 elections," he added.

At sino kaya ang utak ng ISAFP wiretapping na yan? esep esep...

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Do you want to be my guest or my prisoner?

According to the police, they had intelligence agents monitoring Abat and company’s show at the Club Filipino. The agents, therefore, had personal knowledge of the crime allegedly committed.

So why did these agents not go to a prosecutor a file a complaint? Why did they have to invoke citizen’s arrest when Abat was not going anywhere?

Plain laziness? Sheer stupidity?

And they could not even get their act together. The policemen told Abat and his companions they were being "invited" to Camp Crame. When Ambassador Rey Señeres asked for any document covering the "invitation," the policemen could not present one.

The policemen, not to be bothered by legal niceties, bodily carried out lawyer Carlos Serapio. Seeing the policemen meant business, Abat, Señeres and Salvador Enriquez decided to go with them to Camp Crame.

During martial law, people were not arrested. They were "invited," with the invitation extending to free board and lodging courtesy of the state for an indeterminate period. The police are back in the business of inviting people. Did Edsa 1 really take place?

Incidentally, would it have greatly inconvenienced the policemen had they slipped into uniform before proceeding with their mission? They looked like bums in T-shirts, vests and rubber shoes.

"Citizen's arrest"? Hmmm... hindi ba pulis yung mga naka-civilian na yan?