Philippines - A well-placed officer of the Philippine National Police (PNP) warned yesterday that advanced wiretapping capabilities might have already slipped out of the control of law enforcers and into the hands of people tapping the phone lines of politicians running in the midterm elections.
The source said people who seek to acquire the know-how and capability for wiretapping outside of police functions can offer their services for large fees to politicians who want valuable information about their opponents or enemies.
The PNP insider claimed to have training with systems to bug both landline and mobile phones, as well as calls from foreign countries to both types of telephones.
He cited the alleged bugging of the Aquino residence as a warning that indicates the "spilling out" of wiretapping capabilities outside the sphere of police investigative work.
"Wiretapping could even be used to blackmail individuals," the source said. (more)
