ILOILO City – Controversial Police Major Jovie Espenido has appealed for prayers as he embarks on a new assignment in Western Visayas. During his stints in Albuera, Leyte in 2016 and Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental in 2017, police operations resulted to the violent death of the mayors there who were suspected narco-politicians.
His new assignment would be Bacolod City, according to Espenido himself, although the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6), sans official documents, would not confirm as of this writing yesterday the police official’s specific assignment in the region.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, PRO-6 spokesperson, said what they received was a copy of Espenido’s order of reassignment from Region 10 t Region 6.
She, however, said Espenido was “projected to be assigned to the BCPO (Bacolod City Police Office).”
Drug trafficking remains a problem in Bacolod City. Recent police operations resulted to the confiscation of shabu worth millions of pesos.
In January this year, President Rodrigo Duterte sacked five Bacolod police officers whom he accused of protecting drug syndicates. He also took potshots at a city councilor.
The President, however, did not offer evidence nor cited the sources of his information.
In an interview over Bombo Radyo – Cagayan de Oro City yesterday, Espenido said he received a reassignment order from the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame. He was sad to leave Ozamiz City, he added.
On the other hand, Bacolod City police director, Police Colonel Henry Biñas said Espenido is welcome in his turf.
“No problem if Espenido is assigned here. He is a hardworking police officer,” Biñas said.
Espenido’s Western Visayas reassignment order was signed by PNP’s Director General Oscar Albayalde; Police Major General Lyndon Cubos, director for Personnel and Records Management; and Police Lieutenant Colonel Camilo Pancratius Cascolan, chief of the Directorial Staff.
According to Malong, a special order on Espenido’s specific assignment in Western Visayas may be released anytime soon.
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 no less than President Rodrigo Duterte 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.
It was found out that Espenido, then with the rank of Chief Inspector, was not yet qualified to become the director of a police office; he could only be a chief of a police of station.
Iloilo City is a highly-urbanized city. To head the Iloilo City Police Office, a police officer should have the rank of a Police Colonel.
Unlike Iloilo City, Ozamiz City is just a component city of Misamis Occidental./PN
