MANILA – Police Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido, deputy director for operations of the Bacolod City Police Office, has been relieved from his post for still undisclosed reasons.
Confirmation of his relief came just after the Philippine National Police (PNP) removed 14 police officials, with ranks from police lieutenant colonel to brigadier general, over various pending cases on Feb. 5 as part of a sweeping reshuffle by PNP chief General Archie Gamboa.
Orders from the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management showed Espenido has been recalled to the national police headquarters in Camp Crame and reassigned to the Office of the PNP Chief
Among those relieved by Gamboa have past or pending cases, including alleged drug links and involvement in corruption.
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Espenido’s reassignment to Bacolod City in October last year with the specific goal of eradicating illegal drugs in the city.
“We are police officers, not killers. But if drug dealers resist arrest and fight us, we have to protect ourselves,” according to Espenido.
Espenido was the police chief of Ozamiz City prior to his Bacolod reassignment. He assured the people of Bacolod City that policemen uphold the rule of law and are true to their mission to serve and protect the public. But he won’t promise a bloodless drug war.
On July 30, 2017 Ozamiz City’s Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and 14 others were killed in a shootout led by Espenido who was serving search warrants at Parojinog’s properties in barangays Baybay San Roque and Baybay Santa Cruz.
In November 2016, Espenido was also the police chief of Albuera, Leyte when its mayor, Rolando Espinosa Sr., was killed in a shootout as police were attempting to serve a search warrant.
Both Parojinog and Espinosa were linked by President Duterte to illegal drugs.
In Aug. 28, 2017 Espenido was reassigned by the President from Ozamiz City to Iloilo City that he branded as “most shabulized.”
The reassignment, however, was recalled just days after by Duterte himself who said he was giving in to the requests of the residents of Ozamiz City not to transfer Espenido yet. (With ABS-CBN News/PN)
