Panelo: Foreign wiretapping on drug suspects an ‘educated guess’

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Thursday denied claiming that foreign governments had provided “wiretapped information” to the Philippines regarding politicians allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade.

Panelo told reporters that he does not have any information whether a foreign government is wiretapping Filipinos suspected of links to illegal drugs and other criminal activities.

The Palace official said his statement during a press briefing on Tuesday regarding wiretapped information provided by foreign governments was based on “logic” and “educated guess.”

“[It was an] educated guess on what is happening in the world today. Countries whose survival depends on measures that they will undertake to preserve their territory or sovereignty will have to use that,” he said.

“But again I will say that as far as I know, walang nagpo-provide sa atin ng [wiretapped] information,” Panelo said as he admitted he used the wrong word when he said other countries “provided” information based on wiretapped conversations.

Panelo said the information on the narcolist may have come from drug surrenderers and arrested drug suspects.

The Palace official’s clarification came after Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino said the information about those included in the narcolist in the so-called “narcolist” came from local government agencies and not from foreign governments.

Republic Act 4200 or the Anti-Wiretapping Law prohibits wiretapping unless authorized by the court.

Panelo said he does not see anything illegal with the government using wiretapped information from other countries as lead for authorities to conduct surveillance and entrapment operation against drug personalities.

“If in the course of cooperation between countries like combat[ting] terrorism and illegal drug industry information will suddenly thrown into our lap without us asking it – nandoon na - and the information points to a terrorist or a drug lord, then if it is a matter of national security, I don’t think na masama na gamitin natin iyong information as a lead,” he said.

“But definitely ‘pag wiretapping, it is illegal in this country and we will not allow it whether it’s foreign or taga-rito.”

The government plans to release the narcolist next week. — RSJ, GMA News