š·PNP Col. Jovie Espenido
Police Colonel Jovie Espenido on Wednesday, August 28, accused former police chief and current Senator Ronald dela Rosa of instructing him to eliminate suspected drug personalities, including Ozamiz Mayor Reynaldo āAldongā Parojinog and his family.
Espenido made this claim during the House investigation into drug war deaths that occurred under former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
The policeman became a controversial figure during Duterte’s administration, leading major drug operations against high-profile drug suspects and facing homicide charges.
In the hearing, Espenido claimed that Dela Rosa suggested he “neutralize” drug personalities in Albuera, Leyte, where Mayor Rolando Espinosa also died during a police operation.
Espenido mentioned that at the time of Duterteās announcement, he was in a meeting with Mayor Parojinog inside a Baptist church. He said he was there to inform them of his “mission” in Ozamiz and to offer them a chance to voluntarily surrender.
However, the cop said that Mayor Parojinog ultimately did not surrender, which led to the issuance of a search warrant for the mayor’s residence and farm nearly a year later.
“Ang instruction lang (niya na) ‘Tulungan mo ako, Jovie, at saka si President Duterte, about this war against illegal drugs. So, dapat, galingan mo ha, ikaw ang i-assign ko as chief of police ng Albuera, so dapat mawala na yung mga drugs sa Albuera’ natandaan ko,ā Espenido said.
āAng police, isa lang ang word, general word na ibigay. Lahat [ng police], alam na namin ang isang meaning din. Pagsabi na mawala, kasalit na āyung mamatay,ā Espenido added.
In his affidavit submitted to the House investigation, Espenido quoted PNP Chief Dela Rosa as saying that the “local drug kingpin was formidable, so it required a tough officer like me to dismantle the Parojinog drug operations by any means necessary.” In police language, it included neutralization or elimination of the target.
“Moments after my phone conversation with Chief Bato, he issued a formal order to cause my transfer to Ozamiz. It was President Rodrigo Duterte himself who announced in August 2016 that Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo “Aldong” Parojinog was included in his list of public officials involved in illegal drugs, in national television during one of his press briefings in MalacaƱang,ā Espenido said in his affidavit.
The controversial cop also mentioned in his affidavit that he and the police unit enforced the warrant through simultaneous search around 2:00 AM of July 30, 2017, a Sunday. Sixteen people were killed in these police operations, including Mayor Parojinog and his wife.
Espenido added that Dela Rosa and Duterte arrived shortly to congratulate them for the successful raid and for neutralizing the Parojinogs.
He also mentioned that they were even awarded a plaque of recognition for that. (TCSP)
