Video on Balintang shooting likely tampered – NBI source

From the Manila Bulletin (Jun 8): Video on Balintang shooting likely tampered – NBI source

Forensic video experts from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday cast doubt on the “authenticity” of a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) video showing the whole May 9 Balintang Channel shooting incident as probers believed that it was tampered before it was submitted for investigation.

Sources from the NBI said that results from the bureau’s Cybercrime Division showed indications that some of the scenes in the PCG video had already been spliced before it was sent to the bureau at the start of the investigation.

One of the sources quickly noticed that there were some small “cuts” in the two-hour video, a sign that there were scenes in the PCG video that had already been deleted even before the NBI commenced its probe on the Balintang shooting.

Two other sources, who had seen the video, confirmed the statements of the first source.

“Medyo madilim at magulo yung pagkakakuha nung video at medyo green yung screen. Pero habang pinapanuod namin parang putol-putol,” one of the sources said. “Since medyo putol-putol yung video, kinakailangan talaga na i-verify yung kuha nung video. We verified it and found na may na-edit or natanggal sa video.”

The source, however, declined to elaborate on what part of the video had been edited since it will already give an idea of the content of the PCG video, which allegedly showed the footage of the hot pursuit operation made by the PCG personnel against the Taiwanese poachers that led to the accidental, fatal shooting of Taiwanese Hung Shih-chen, 65.

Hung reportedly sustained a gunshot wound on the neck.

They also declined to answer the question whether the editing of the video, which is tantamount to tampering of evidence, can already be considered as an act of obstruction of justice.

“What I can say is the NBI has competent investigators which can look into the authenticity of videos presented as evidence,” the second source said.

PCG spokesman Armand Balilo declined to comment on the report that the video the agency submitted to the NBI had been tampered.

Balilio said they will just wait for the bureau’s final report on the incident.

“The PCG has already submitted all the documents they were asking, including the video taken by the MCS-3001. The PCG has nothing to hide,” Balilo said.

The two-hour video of the PCG reportedly showed how the Taiwanese fishing vessel taunted those aboard the MCS-3001, a patrol vessel owned by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources but manned by coast guard, by moving in circles.

After engaging in a high seas chase, the coast guard aimed for what they thought was the engine room to stop the boat but they accidentally hit Hung in the process.

But contrary to earlier reports, only a few coast guard personnel laughed after one of the M-16 rifles of the PCG got stuck up and failed to fire.

As this developed, the Taiwanese investigators and NBI had already ironed out some of the supposed “discrepancies” in their parallel probes, including the exact coordinates of the shooting incident and the number of rifles used by the PCG.

http://mb.com.ph/News/Main_News/16142/Video_on_Balintang_shooting_likely_tampered_–_NBI_source#.UbMOR47D9jo