Espinosa: Get the dogs of Calimlim off my back

DAVAO CITY — If there is anything that Marine Lt. Gen. Edgardo Espinosa wants right now, it is for military intelligence men to stop tailing him.

"Get the dogs of Calimlim and the ISAFP off my back," Espinosa told The STAR in a telephone interview yesterday. He was referring to Lt. Gen. Jose Calimlim, Armed Forces vice chief of staff, and agents of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), which Calimlim heads.

Espinosa, who heads the Joint Command and Staff College at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, confirmed that ISAFP agents have been bugging his phones and monitoring his movements.

"I really do not know why they are following me. I do not even know what is it that they are afraid of me. I really do not know what this whole thing is all about. But I know they are following me. I know it," he said.

Espinosa said he has brought the matter to the attention of Armed Forces chief Gen. Angelo Reyes.

"I already told Gen. Reyes of the situation. As far as I am concerned, I have already reported to my superiors the surveillance they (have been conducting) on me," he added.

Espinosa has been perceived as one of the critics of the Estrada administration in the military, especially following his unceremonious relief as chief of the Armed Forces’ Southern Command early this year.
Speculations were rife then that he was relieved as Southcom chief after he clashed with Zamboanga businessman Lee Peng Wee, a close friend of President Estrada.

Espinosa, however, said ISAFP agents monitoring his movements will never get anything from him.

"It is like the modern day James Bond story. They follow me and when I sense that they’re behind me, I usually mislead them. I did that many times already," he said.

He said there were times when he opted to enter karaoke bars, knowing that he was being followed.

"I always laughed because when these intelligence men also entered the bar, they would not find me there anymore. I tell you, they will just get tired following me. Their hair will just grow white," Espinosa said.

However, Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado denied allegations that the Armed Forces is engaged in wiretapping activities.

Espinosa belongs to Class 1967 of the Philippine Military Academy, along with retired Philippine National Police Deputy Director General Roberto Lastimoso.