Probe looms over Lumbera ‘surveillance’ case

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Thursday said he would order an investigation into a military personnel's surveillance of National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera's home as part of a surveillance training class. "Paiimbestigahan ko na at padidisiplinahin ko (I will have it investigated and I will have them disciplined)," Teodoro said in an ambush interview on the sidelines of the Defense's department's budget hearing in the House. "Di lang ang nahuli, kung sino man ang responsable diyan (Not just the one who was arrested, but whoever is responsible for the whole thing will also be investated)," added Teodoro, a presidential aspirant in next year's elections. Earlier in the day, Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo identified the serviceman arrested as Cpl. Hannibal Mosura Mondido Guerrero, a member of the Philippine Marines. Guerrero was arrested by village security men for taking pictures of Lumbera’s house in Mapayapa village in Quezon City. Guerrero's companions, however, were able to escape.

Arevalo said the soldiers’ activities were part of a surveillance training under the military’s Naval Intelligence Security Force. He said during the activity, trainees are given random addresses of unidentified civilians where they would conduct mock surveillance operations. A lawmaker, meanwhile, described Arevalo's reasoning as "unacceptable." "It is unacceptable for the military to use civilians as subjects for intelligence training, especially if there is no reason for those civilians to be included in military surveillance," said Muntinlupa City Rep. Ruffy Biazon, vice chair of the House committee on national defense and Security. Biazon said the military should immediately stop such practice and come out with "clear and categorical guidelines" regarding the conduct of surveillance training that specifically prohibits using civilians as subjects. Arevalo said he would look for "the quickest possible way" to express the military’s apology to Lumbera, who is a leader of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and a national council member of militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan). Lumbera is also an active participant in protest actions against Malacañang's granting of the National Artist Award to comic book icon Carlo J. Caparas. - GMANews.TV