BACOLOD City – Police officers here vowed to be relentless on the campaign against illegal drugs even in their absence of controversial cop Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido.
“Even with Espenido or without Espenido, we are still working,” Bacolod City Police Office director Colonel Henry Biñas said.
Last week, Espenido was relieved from his post for still undisclosed reasons – only four months after President Rodrigo Duterte sent him in this city.
For the mean time, Biñas said, Lieutenant Colonel Levy Pangue, BCPO deputy city director for administration, will supervise the position vacated by Espenido as well as the City Drug Enforcement Unit.
Meanwhile, the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) also vowed to continue the aggressive campaign against illegal drugs in the province despite Espenido’s departure
NOCPPO deputy administration director,
Lieutenant Colonel Adrian Acollador, insisted, even before Espenido was
assigned to BCPO, they were continuously going after illegal drug suspects.
He also denied rumors claiming Espenido’s removal stemmed from “ninja cops”
within the BCPO, or police officers that allegedly take seized drugs and resell
them, pointing out, Espenido was reassigned directly to the Office of
Philippine National Police director, Police General Archie Gamboa.
Acollador also challenged recently-arrested drug suspects in the province
claiming evidence was “planted” against them to file a case to prove their
allegations.
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./PN
