Roque says there’s nothing wrong with foreigners listening to Pinoy conversations here

Malacañang said that foreign governments listening to conversations of Filipinos in the Philippines is not necessarily a bad thing, claiming that the country has benefitted from such sharing of information.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after President Duterte said that he has been receiving information from "sympathetic" foreign countries about plots to oust him.

In a press briefing, Roque said that while he has no idea on how often it is being done, "spying" on the government's perceived enemies is part of the nature of the intelligence community.

"I do not know if it is a regular thing. What I do know is that's the nature of intel. Intel, precisely, is intended to provide you information to avoid eventualities," he said Wednesday.

"You know, even as early as the time we developed inter-state relations, the gathering of intel has always been recognized as a function of diplomatic missions, he added.

"We have regular reports from our own embassies, we also get intel information, that's the nature of diplomatic relations nowadays," he continued.

The Palace official also said that there's nothing wrong with foreign governments listening in on local conversations, especially if the general population will benefit from it.

"Well we have been beneficiaries of shared information from the United States about terrorist groups, nothing wrong with that," he added.

In his tête-à-tête with Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo Tuesday, Duterte claimed that an intel report from foreign countries said that the Magdalo soldiers are working with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on his ouster.

"We have the evidence and we have the conversation provided by a foreign country sympathetic to us," he said.

"The connection will be shown maybe any day now. I asked that it be declassified at ipakita nila sa lahat (and show it to everybody)," he added.

Meanwhile, Roque said that only the Congress can determine if President Duterte allowing foreign interception is a culpable violation of the Constitution and is an impeachable offense.

Roque made the comment after constitutional law professor Tony La Viña said that the act is a violation of public trust and compromises the country's security.

"That's his personal opinion. Ultimately, Whether or not it is impeachable is it will be a decision of the House of Representatives," he said.

"That's just an expression of a personal opinion which should not carry much weight," he added.

Roque, meanwhile, advised the public to take extra measure to protect their security, even advising everyone to not use their cellphones if they fear of other countries listening in on their conversations.

"I'm sure everyone is listening to everyone else. And that is why the rule now is don't use your telephone," he said.

"Well, at this time and age, you need to know that oftentimes, privacy of communication is seriously challenged not just by intel individuals, but because of the nature of the technology," he added.

"So take extraordinary precautions in protecting the privacy of your communication," he continued.