US: Spy’s arrest won’t spoil ties

Ties between the Philippines and the United States remain "very strong" despite the arrest of a naturalized American and a former Philippine police official accused of spying, outgoing US Chargé d’ Affaires Darryl Johnson said.

"Well of course we would be concerned about any story of this kind that has to do with the national security of the United States," Johnson told reporters in Cebu City Friday, transcripts of which were circulated only yesterday.

"I think that this sort of thing is very unfortunate but it is a matter for the US legal system. It is an internal issue in the US and it is not something that will affect our foreign relations," he said.

Leandro Aragoncillo, a former US Marine born in the Philippines, allegedly stole information gathered by the US that were unfavorable to President Arroyo.

Aragoncillo was accused of sending the classified information to Mrs. Arroyo’s political foes through a Filipino intermediary in the United States, dismissed police senior superintendent Michael Ray Aquino, a protegé of opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

Aquino, who is close to several opposition figures, was arrested last month by US authorities.

Johnson, however, declined to comment further on the case, but assured the suspects of a fair trial.

Mrs. Arroyo, for her part, initially kept silent on the issue, saying it was a White House matter, but later branded her opponents as "robbers" and "coup plotters."

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has also ordered an investigation into possible links between Aragoncillo and members of the political opposition for a possible conspiracy to oust Mrs. Arroyo.

US authorities, on the other hand, stated their firm resolve to pursue the prosecution against Aragoncillo and Aquino to the end and spare no one, even if it means indicting Philippine government officials.

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Reynaldo Wycoco said US officials emphasized the severity of the spy case, considering the materials stolen by the suspects who violated the security of the White House itself.

Wycoco led the NBI delegation in Washington to coordinate efforts with their US counterparts to ascertain whether Philippine laws had been violated or if Philippine national security has been compromised or affected by the espionage act.

According to Wycoco, the Americans were quite angry about the spy incident by indicting Aquino, which is proof of their strong resolve to pursue the case.

The NBI officials said the "American government is taking the espionage case seriously and determined to run after everyone involved."

"One special focus of the probe will be the source of funding of the conspirators, and this aspect will investigate the suspicious accounts and businesses of the concerned personalities," Wycoco said.

Without mentioning any personalities who might be involved in the spy case, NBI officials revealed that the investigation is "focusing on a specific group of persons who benefited from Aragoncillo’s stolen information."

"We are 100 percent sure that the American government will charge those three (Filipino) officials linked to Aragoncillo. This is something very serious for them. They just can’t ignore these people who even managed to bridge security at the White House," NBI International Police division chief Ricardo Diaz said.

Diaz though admitted he was not sure of the specific charges the US government will file against the three still unnamed Filipino officials involved in the spy case.

"That would depend on the US government and the results of the investigation," he said.

Diaz revealed the US government is considering the possible indictment of the Filipino officials who have benefited from the classified information relayed to them by Aragoncillo and Aquino.

He stressed the mere act of stealing or conspiring to steal classified information is considered by the US government a threat to its national security.

Diaz said the Filipino co-conspirators and those involved in the espionage case can be indicted before the US courts considering the standing extradition treaty of the US with the Philippines.

The NBI, along with Justice Undersecretary Ernesto Pineda, also sought to clarify before the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on the nature of the alleged stolen classified documents and the identities of the other personalities involved in the spy case.

They brought up before US officials the queries of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on the contents of the charge sheet against the principals in the spy case.

Wycoco said the Philippine delegation acknowledged that the spy case is entirely a US concern.

The NBI has been tasked to coordinate its efforts with their US counterparts in tracing the money trail of the people who have benefited in the spy ring.

"We are very careful with the investigation. We’re not targeting anybody but we’re not sparing anyone either," Diaz added.

‘Profound Implications’

Lawmakers, for their part, noted the efforts of the US government to coordinate with the NBI and the DOJ in tracking down the other personalities involved in the spy ring.

Deputy Speaker Gerry Salapuddin of Basilan said the US government’s close coordination with local authorities is proper and necessary since the Philippines is a sovereign country and an ally of Washington.

"The US government should involve our own agencies because the espionage case has profound implications here," Salapuddin said.

"In fact, the failed attempt to topple the administration may well have provided impetus for the spy effort in the first place," he said.

Salapuddin said the coordination between the US and the Philippine authorities will expedite the resolution of the spy case.

"And the crucial (issue) here would be the identification of the masterminds who should be made fully accountable," he said.

Davao del Norte Rep. Douglas Cagas also urged the US government to shed light on the US reports which were allegedly tampered with and peddled locally by some opposition members in a failed attempt to engineer the administration’s downfall.

Earlier, Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay disclosed of alleged US reports leaked by the opposition to the media were actually "massaged" and falsified to paint a negative picture of the Philippine government.

Since the US has already revealed three Filipino officials were also involved in the espionage case with Aragoncillo and Aquino having been arraigned, Salapuddin added the focus is now on identifying their principals.

The Basilan lawmaker noted the principals in the spy ring went to the extent of falsifying the US reports "to tarnish the relations between the US and the Philippines and promote their selfish interests."

Cagas, for his part, said those behind the spy ring should also be charged here for compromising the country’s national security.

"The US and Filipino probers should determine how the cases would proceed since separate cases will be certainly be filed in the country against those involved," he said.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, for her part, reiterated her stand to start a Senate inquiry over the issue.

Santiago has filed a resolution "directing the committee on foreign relations and the committee on national defense to criminalize conduct seriously prejudicial to Philippine foreign relations, whether bilateral or multilateral, committed by unauthorized Filipino nationals."

In reiterating her move, Santiago said the involvement of at least four Filipinos, including incumbent government officials in the Aragoncillo and Aquino spy cases, "raises grave concern about the impact of such allegations on the RP-US diplomatic relations."

Santiago argued the Revised Penal Code should punish Filipinos for spying abroad.

Santiago, chairwoman of the Senate committee on foreign relations, declared last month her move to subpoena the three still unnamed Filipino "national-level public officials" implicated by the US in the spy case.

Malacañang had vowed to unmask the identities of those involved in the espionage case, which US security officials believe is the first in modern history to involve the White House.

The President had claimed the information stolen by Aragoncillo was being used by the opposition to force her out of office.

"To whom did they send this illegally obtained information but to the political detractors of the President?" Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye asked.

"The only conclusion we can make is that there are some people who are willing to risk destroying the good relations between the United States and our government for their own selfish ends," he said.

Bunye though did not elaborate on the next move once the US identifies the three alleged Filipino principals.

Several opposition leaders, including deposed President Joseph Estrada, earlier admitted receiving information from Aquino but insisted they were not confidential.

Since June, the opposition has stepped up its campaign to unseat Mrs. Arroyo, accusing her of cheating in the May 10, 2004 elections, among other anomalies. - AFP, Edu Punay, Christina Mendez