‘ISAFP has spy equipment including cell phone interceptor’

"Tell that to the Marines!"

This was the message of a military officer to his senior officer in refuting a claim that the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) was never engaged in bugging operations and even lacks the capability to do so.

The officer, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) who is now a full colonel, disclosed yesterday that the ISAFP does indeed possess bugging equipment that includes a cellular phone interceptor.

"This cell phone interceptor was the latest addition to the bugging equipment of ISAFP," said the official, who asked not be named in denying the claims made the other day by Rear Adm. Tirso Danga, deputy chief for intelligence (J-2) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, about the ISAFP’s supposed inability to conduct wiretapping operations.

The official added that Malacañang even paid the bill for the gadget’s acquisition.

He added the bugging gadget was used primarily in joint military and police anti-kidnapping operations.

On Friday, Danga was ordered by Armed Forces chief Gen. Efren Abu to conduct an investigation into allegations that ISAFP agents were the source of recordings supposedly containing a bugged telephone conversation between President Arroyo and an election official during last year’s presidential polls.

Lawyer Samuel Ong, former deputy director for intelligence of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), also announced that ISAFP agents gave him four copies of the original tapes and challenged the AFP leadership to conduct an inventory of its recordings.

Several hours later, Danga announced before the media that no tapes were missing from the ISAFP and that the unit was never engaged in bugging operations.

"No tape is missing and we are not hiding any because it is not our job to wiretap," Danga said.

Another military officer, with the rank of major, described Danga’s denial as "normal" as it would be a suicide on his part to publicly admit that the ISAFP conducted bugging operations.

"It’s just like being in the PMA. When a cadet is asked if hazing is being dome there, naturally it will be denied because it’s not permitted," he said.

But the officer also confirmed that ISAFP had extensive bugging equipment, the latest of which was acquired before the May 11 elections last year at the cost of P40 million.

The newest gadget, according to the officer, was described on the Internet as resembling the TDMA Interceptor Pro-System.

This piece of high-tech bugging equipment looks like a laptop computer and has the capability to scan, monitor and record cellular telephone conversations.