MANILA – Controversial police officer Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido promised to uphold the rule of law despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s daring remark, allowing him to kill drug suspects.
Espenido, who was recently assigned deputy city director for police operations in Bacolod City, said in a television interview that he will not use Duterte’s pronouncement as a license to kill.
“At least binigyan tayo ng karapatan ni Presidente. Iyon ang pinaka the best na high morale. Pero ganoon pa man, tayo ang nasa ground. We have our mandate sa batas to protect the lives and property of the people,” he told CNN Philippines.
Espenido said he is not yet aware how widespread the drug problem is in the city as he is newly-installed. He said his new job entails validation of reports and planning operations.
“At the end of the day, kami din naman sa ground ang managot kung ano ang hindi maganda
naming gawin o violation of human rights,” added Espenido, who gained
notoriety for leading deadly operations against drug-linked politicians.
Espenido led the drug raids that killed Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo “Aldong”
Parojinog, his wife, and several others in 2017.
Espenido was also the police chief in Albuera, Leyte when former mayor Rolando
Espinosa Sr., who was detained for charges of illegal drugs and illegal
possession of firearms, was killed in his jail cell.
In a speech on Thursday evening, President Duterte said that he assigned
Espenido, who got a one-rank promotion from Major to Lieutenant Colonel, to
Bacolod because it is “badly hit” by illegal drugs.
“Bacolod is badly hit now. I placed Espenido there. I said, go there, don’t be
afraid to kill everybody. Start killing there. Dalawa na lang tayo pa preso,”
President Duterte said./PN
