Año: Wiretapping to strengthen anti-terror campaign
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año believes that an extended wiretapping and detention period will advance the government’s anti-terrorism campaign.
Año made the remark as he supported the proposed amendment of the Human Security Act (HSA) of 2007, particularly the longer wiretapping and detention period to improve the government’s capacity to fight terrorism and ensure the safety and security of the entire country.
In similar developments, Philippine National Police chief Police General Oscar Albayalde said an extended wiretapping period will help them in building up cases against terror suspects.
Año explained that terrorism is a coordinated crime mounted over time, sometimes years, which can be countered through calculated strategies and intelligence efforts.
“We are facing new and old terrorism challenges. To meet this challenge, our laws must adapt as well to the changing security environment,” the DILG chief said.
Año, a former intelligence chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said based on his experience, tackling terrorism is massively different from other crimes.
“Investigating terror groups or individuals can be tedious, hence, requires time and the proposed extension of wiretapping and detention period can definitely boost the government’s counterterrorism efforts,” he said.
For his part, Albayalde said having an expanded period for wiretapping would greatly benefit them in going after suspected terrorists.
“That will be up to the court. What is written there is that you cannot wiretap anybody without an order from the court. The extension is needed because sometimes there is a need to know the suspected terrorist even better and get more from them,” he explained.
The DILG is part of the Security, Justice and Peace Cluster, the proponent government cluster that is spearheading the modification of the HSA.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana recently recommended broadening the permissible wiretapping and detention period at a joint public hearing of the Senate Committees on National Defense and Security and on Finance.
In the current stipulation of the HSA, a legally approved wiretapping period is 30 days that can be extended or renewed by the authorizing Court of Appeals and shall not exceed 30 days from the expiration of the original period. The Defense Secretary is looking to extend the wiretapping period to 90 days.
Albayalde allayed fears that an expanded wiretapping period could be used for other purposes.
“Again, this is a very negative thinking. We will look at this on a positive side. This is for the majority. The laws we create will address future problems,” he said.
The PNP chief added, “We have to think about this already because the problem with terrorism is not a joke. This is worldwide and we know that here in the Philippines, we also have the same problem. So, we should not always think about this on the negative side.”