GOVERNOR Eugenio Jose Lacson said former Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) deputy director, Police Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido is in good stand as long as President Rodrigo Duterte has cleared him.
“When the news came out the president immediately cleared him by giving him full trust and confidence,” Lacson said.
Lacson said he has no idea why Espenido’s name was included in the drug watchlist and who is responsible for it.
Espenido in a press conference Wednesday, February 19, said he suspects that an influential politician may be responsible behind his inclusion in the alleged drugs watchlist.
“That’s really his call when you said politician it can be any politician. The politician could not only be in Negros. That is already his call,” Lacson said.
Espenido pointed out it is impossible for another police officer to forward his name because they share the same mission of eliminating illegal drug activities in the country that’s why he suspects a politician was behind it.
Espenido also said it is possible that he may have hit a lot of big drug suspects because of his courage in stopping their activities.
Despite his inclusion in the drugs watchlist, Espenido is still lauding Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año for having the courage to confirm that his name was indeed in the list.
Earlier this month, online news site Rappler broke the news that Espenido’s name was among the 357 police officers listed of having alleged links to illegal drugs.
The news, however, was not confirmed nor denied by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Police General Archie Gamboa, who has even expressed his dismay at Rappler for releasing the information.
Espenido is now undergoing adjudication process before the PNP, although it was confirmed that despite being assigned to the PNP chief’s office, he is still attached to Police Regional Office-Western Visayas. (TDE)