Police officer offers to testify at trial

A police officer has offered to disclose all details about wiretapping and alleged surveillance of anti-government senators and prosecutors at the impeachment trial of President Estrada.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel said yesterday the officer was "reportedly willing to testify openly that there was such a bugging of senator-judges". But he said the officer would not name names if and when he testified. Pimentel did not elaborate.

Senator Rodolfo Biazon reminded everybody that the senate had unanimously agreed to slap contempt of court charges against those caught monitoring the prosecutors and senate-judges.

Senators, meanwhile, expressed disappointment with revelations made by members of the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Task Force who earlier said they could not tell all about bugging devices in public.

"What we heard was nothing worth protecting," said a disappointed Senator Raul Roco, adding that the task force officers even considered an ordinary camera to be 'confidential surveillance equipment'.

The task force was alleged to have launched a surveillance campaign against some anti-Estrada senators, including the 11 prosecutors from the House of Representatives, all of whom belong to the opposition Lakas party.

The special closed-door hearings were prompted by allegations that the government has been spying on senators and prosecutors involved in the hearing. Estrada was accused of receiving protection money from gambling lords and skimming off government funds.