PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. said the Philippines is looking into alleged wiretapping activities by the Chinese Embassy in Manila as government continues to strengthen its cybersecurity.
The President, in an ambush interview on the sidelines of the signing of alliance between the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) and Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) in Makati City on Saturday, said the government has been investigating alleged wiretapping activities amid reports of a “tape” about a supposed secret agreement between the Philippines and China on handling resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
“We are looking into it because really the fact of the matter is, there have been mentions of a tape that says, that confirms that there was this agreement, etcetera. All of that. And, I keep hearing that there is a tape and I keep wanting to hear it and as yet, we don’t have it,” Marcos said.
He added it is too early to come up with any conclusion until he personally hears for himself the contents of the supposed tape and wiretapping activities.
The President said if it is true that there were wiretapping activities by the Chinese government and its embassy in Manila, he would not know “until they release it.”
“It becomes harder and harder to believe and to accept that there was an agreement,” he added.
The alleged wiretapping came at the heels of the announcement of the Chinese Foreign Ministry of a supposed “new model” for the resupply mission of the Armed Forces, which the Philippine military, the Department of National Defense, and the National Security Council supposedly approved.
The President also said there is no directive for any government agency to take extra precautions against wiretapping as there are policies on improving cybersecurity.
“There have been so many departments and agencies that have been victimized and I think we are all very aware of the risks of cybersecurity. We are very conscious of that,” he said.
Marcos said the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of Science and Technology are working with government security agencies and cybersecurity experts to make the country’s cybersecurity more “robust and secure.”
The President said the Philippine government is also planning to invite some cybersecurity experts, many of them Filipinos, to work for government agencies as “free agents” tasked to heighten the country’s cybersecurity.
“They’re civilians. So, we have to bring some of them, we will, I don’t know if we can find an arrangement for them to work for the military, to work for government agencies. Maybe as a free agent, we’ll see, we’ll see,” he said.
The Department of Justice said Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla did not give specific directives to National Bureau of Investigation regarding the alleged wiretapping incident involving a Chinese official and the former head of the Armed Forces’ Western Command.
This is because Remulla wants the DOJ to treat the probe on the alleged wiretapping incident just like any investigation handled by the department, said Justice Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez.
“The only guidance always given by SOJ (Secretary of Justice) is to make sure that the NBI conducts all investigations diligently, impartially, and within legal boundaries to maintain the integrity of the process and deliver justice effectively,” she said.
Remulla previously said that while foreign diplomats enjoy privileges and diplomatic immunity while doing their job, they must also respect the laws and regulations of the host country.
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it will look into reports of “illegal and unlawful activities” by diplomatic officials but did not say whether this was in connection with the row over China’s leak of the alleged conversation between one of its officials with Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos.
Carlos went on leave last May 7 and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro announced that Rear Admiral Alfonso Torres Jr. is the new commander of the AFP Western Command.
SENATE PROBE
Sen. Francis Tolentino said the investigation on the alleged wiretapping will be held on Wednesday by the committees on national defense, foreign relations, and science and technology.
The hearing is in connection with Senate Resolution No. 1023 filed by Tolentino about the “new model.”
Tolentino, in an interview with radio dzBB, said the hearing will focus on whether there was wiretapping, and not on the “intrinsic content” of the supposed recorded conversation regarding the new model/
So far, he said, he has not received any advisory that the investigation will not push through or may be reset for another date after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier said they might need to discuss first the matter due to some security concerns raised by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.
He said the objective of the hearing is not the content of the supposed wiretapped conversation but rather if there is a violation of RA 4200 or the Anti-Wiretapping Law. — With Ashzel Hachero and Raymond Africa
