Lacson: Doble ‘debugged’ Miriam’s house in 2000

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday claimed former military spy Vidal Doble was among the police agents who conducted a bug sweep on the house of Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago seven years ago. Lacson made the revelation to defend Doble from Santiago’s charges that the wiretapping whistleblower has no actual knowledge or expertise in wiretapping. Lacson said that when he was then the National Police chief, he was asked by Santiago’s husband Narciso, “sometime in 2000 early or middle part" to debug their residence in La Vista Subdivision, Quezon City. “What Sen. Santiago does not remember, it just occurred to me, that sometime in 2000 early or middle part, her husband Narciso who was then [the Interior undersecretary] requested our group to conduct sweeping and debugging in their house in La Vista," Lacson said. Lacson said Doble, then agent of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, was one of the agents who went to Santiago’s house. At the Senate hearing on the “Hello, Garci" wiretapping controversy, Santiago questioned Doble’s qualification to wiretap. Santiago called Doble “an impeached witness" because he contradicted himself several times in her cross-examination. Santiago, using Doble’s military service record called “Summary of Information," pointed out that from 2000 to 2002 Doble was always assigned to “wire" operations. She asked Doble if the word “wire" meant that he was then an expert in wiretapping. Doble denied that he was engaged in wiretapping. He claimed that the word “wire" referred only to the installation and repair of military telephones. “For emphasis, are you now claiming that you have nothing to do with wiretapping operations, whether legal or not, of the ISAFP MIG-21?" Santiago said. She then pointed out that if Doble had no eavesdropping assignments, then he is not qualified to testify on the alleged wiretapping of former Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Santiago said that if Doble’s job was to install and repair telephones, then it was inexplicable why he had been suddenly assigned to a very sensitive wiretapping operation. “At the time Senator Miriam and her husband were worried their phone was being bugged by (Interior Secretary Ronaldo) Puno, following their (Santiago and Puno) word war at that time. It should have been brought up in the inquiry," he said. In 2000, Santiago blocked the confirmation of Puno’s appointment to the Interior portfolio at the Commission on Appointments hearing. Santiago was reportedly harboring grudge against Puno after she lost to President Fidel Ramos in the 1992 elections. Puno was then Ramos’ supposed campaign strategist. The Senate committee on national defense, the Blue Ribbon Committee and the committee on electoral reforms are set to resume the joint investigation Thursday. - GMANews.TV