NBI Deputy Director for Intelligence Services Reynaldo Esmeralda said it was a legitimate operation allowed by his office and that of Deputy Director Ruel Lasala on Special Investigation Services.
“The task of our people was to monitor the premises of the Kiram family,” Esmeralda said.
When asked why the agents posed as member of the media, he said “if there is difficulty of getting inside the Kiram residence, they will ask the help of the members of the media na kaibigan namin (who are our friends).”
Esmeralda said they were introduced to Mrs. Kiram by TV5 reporter Carla Lim as NBI agents
“They were entertained by Mrs. Kiram. They were even given refreshments,” he said.
In getting information, Esmeralda explained that they either do covert or open operations or a combination of both.
“Here, they only want to blend in with the crowd but they were introduced by Carla Lim as NBI agents. There was a misunderstanding on that aspect. That was the fault on the part of our agents. After they were introduced as NBI agents, they should have given the Kirams their calling card or ID,” he said.