House OKs wiretapping bill vs drug suspects

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved a bill authorizing wiretapping in illegal drug cases which, when passed into law, will allow the government to listen in on the communications of people involved in the illegal drug business.

Approved on second reading was House Bill 6107 or the proposed “Act Authorizing Wire Tapping in Cases Involving Violations of Republic Act 9165 otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.”

The anti-wiretapping law allows government enforcers to eavesdrop on the communications of those involved in rebellion, sedition, espionage and other similar crimes.

House Bill 6107 may be added among those exemptions when signed into law by the President.

It was authored by Iligan Rep. Vicente Belmonte, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs and Reps. Leopoldo Bataoil (Pangasinan); Jeffrey Ferrer (Negros Occidental); Samuel Pagdilao (ACT-CIS party-list) and Sendra Sema (Maguindanao and Cotabato City).

The authors said the bill strengthens the government’s anti-drug campaign by authorizing law enforcers to wiretap, intercept and record the communications of and surveillance on pushers, manufacturers, cultivators, importers and financiers of dangerous drugs.