CCTV footage of Tuason in Senate basement deleted – security chief

Senate sergeant-at-arms Jose Balajadia Jr. on Saturday said all closed circuit television footage showing potential state witness Ruby Tuason's visits to the Senate building have already been deleted.

In a phone interview with GMA News Online, Balajadia said from 2002 to December 2010, the Senate used VHS tapes to record CCTV footage, and were only stored for 30 days.

"They (VHS tapes) tend to stick, nagdidikit-dikit kaya hindi kami nagsto-store," he said.

However, it was only in January 2011 when the Senate security shifted to digital video recorders (DVRs), Balajadia said.

"From January 2011 to to now, kumpleto kami," he added.

Earlier at a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Tuason said she visited the office of Senator Jinggoy Estrada at the Senate at least twice in 2008, usually in the afternoon.

She added that she used the side entrance of the Senate building, which is reserved only for senators, to evade inspection.

She also belied Estrada's earlier statement that she delivered snacks to his office, and not money.

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Thursday called for an investigation of the agency handling Senate security that allowed  Tuason to proceed to the office of Estrada without inspection.

Saying he has nothing to hide, Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Monday asked for the release of all CCTV footage of Ruby Tuason's supposed visits at the Senate.
 
Estrada made a manifestation during Monday's Senate plenary session, where he asked the Senate sergeant-at-arms to trace all videos showing Tuason in the Senate building in Pasay City.

Facing plunder charges together with Estrada and two other senators, Tuason has been considered a potential state witness in the alleged pork barrel scam.

On the other hand, Senate President Franklin Drilon granted Estrada's request, but asked that the Senate security be given time to go over all CCTV footage, since Estrada could not specify the dates of Tuason's visits.

CCTV video in storage

For his part, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano gave an assurance, upon conferring with the Senate sergeant-at-arms, that all CCTV footage of Senate premises have been preserved.
 
"There are CCTV in storage for the past 10 years. There will be no surprises na wala 'yung footage, but we will need time to review these one-by-one, because we don't have the facial recognition feature like we see in the movies," Cayetano said.
 
In 2011, security officials of the House of Representatives were castigated at a congressional inquiry for not preserving CCTV footage of a supposed break-in at the Batasan Pambansa compound, suspected to be an attempt to rig results of the 2004 and 2005 elections.

Lawyer Artemio Adasa, deputy secretary for House operations in 2005, then said his office intentionally dubbed over videos taken by the CCTV on the night of the supposed break-in since the recording did not show anything irregular. — LBG/JDS/HS, GMA News