Bato: Espenido recruited to discredit Duterte drug war

MANILA, Philippines —  Some ranking officials have “recruited” police Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido as part of their “game plan” to make him discredit the drug war in the previous administration and convince him to testify against former president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC), Sen. Ronald dela Rosa said yesterday.

“That’s their game plan. Their game plan is to use in the ICC whatever comes out of that hearing,” Dela Rosa said over TV5 Radyo 5, referring to Espenido’s testimony on Wednesday before the House quad committee.

Congressmen, however, denied Dela Rosa’s accusation, saying they would not allow the credibility of the probe panel to be compromised.

The quad committee comprises the four panels jointly hearing the possible connection among Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO), extrajudicial killings and human trafficking. Rep. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte is overall committee chair.

In his testimony, Espenido
confirmed that a reward and quota system in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs explained the rampant abuses by policemen in the enforcement of the drug war. Dela Rosa was one of those indicted by the ICC for the thousands of drug-related killings during the Duterte administration.

“There were people who recruited them (Espenido and others) to make statements, affidavits like this. We know it. He could not have said those things if nobody had recruited him, he could not have come without being invited,” Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa noted that Speaker Martin Romualdez had tried but failed to recruit Maj. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr., chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Northern Luzon.

The senator said Caramat was even offered the top PNP post if he would agree to testify against Duterte.

After refusing to testify against Duterte, Caramat was removed as chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, a major position in the PNP, Dela Rosa said.

Aside from Romualdez, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, House appropriation committee chairman Rep. Zaldy Co and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency chief Ricardo de Leon had also tried to convince Caramat to speak against the former president, according to Dela Rosa.

“He (Caramat) didn’t budge, he got removed from the CIDG. So I know how this would unfold,” Dela Rosa said.

“The problem with the Quad committee is, I know what you want. Your objective is to establish something, to establish something you want. But I can see your grand design. Now who’s behind this Quad committee if not the Speaker of the House. So they can use this, and whatever comes out of the Quad committee, they will use in the ICC. I respect that, ok do it,” Dela Rosa said.

The senator said there were efforts to connect the drug war to extrajudicial killings, POGO and the ICC.

Earlier, Dela Rosa claimed there were efforts to “erase the Dutertes and their allies from the face of the earth” as some government officials were trying to convince police officers to testify against him and Duterte before the ICC.

He also vowed not to attend the quad committee hearings saying he does not need the special panel to clear his name.

“I am very consistent. I said I will not attend their hearing,” he pointed out. “I don’t want to become the precedent in violating the Inter-Parliamentary Code of the State. I hope they understand.”

Dela Rosa recalled first knowing about Espenido in 2016. He said a former or an incumbent mayor approached then president-elect Duterte to seek his assistance in eliminating illegal drugs in Albuera, Leyte. The mayor recommended that Espenido be appointed the chief of police.

He said the positive outcome of the drug war in Albuera prompted other local government officials – including those from Misamis Occidental – to request the PNP to take similar action in their jurisdictions. In response, Dela Rosa said Espenido was transferred to Misamis Occidental.

After his retirement and appointment to the Bureau of Corrections, Dela Rosa said he learned that his successor PNP chief Oscar Albayalde ordered the relief of Espenido for abuse of authority. The senator, however, said he was able to dissuade Albayalde against enforcing Espenido’s relief.

Dela Rosa swore that he never gave instructions to kill anyone or reward police officers who killed alleged drug offenders in the course of legitimate police operations.

“Honest to God, I never gave him instructions to kill or who should be killed. I never gave such instructions. There were very clear instructions to him – smash those drug syndicates, clear Albuera of drugs,” he said.

But he admitted that “in the course of the implementation of your duty, life was threatened, the enemy is fighting, then by all means, you have to defend yourself, protect yourself. I don’t need to tell him that because he is a police officer.”

“But his (Espenido’s) assumption was that when I said to end the drug problem there, that there would be killings, that was his assumption. But I never gave instructions to kill whoever was on the list and be rewarded. Cross my heart,” he added.

He said that as then PNP chief, he could not have been a protector of drug syndicates that the Duterte administration had vowed to stamp out.

PNP cries foul

The PNP has also raised a howl over Espenido’s testimony, particularly his allegation that the national police is the largest organized crime group in the country.

“He has to answer for his claims, that is for sure, meaning we have to ask him about his accusations. Accusation is one thing but proof is another thing,” Col. Jean Fajardo, PNP public information officer, said at a briefing at Camp Crame yesterday.

“It’s quite unfair for him to say that about the whole organization because definitely the PNP was not established to commit crimes,” Fajardo said.

In a separate statement, the PNP expressed deep concern and sadness over Espenido’s allegations. – Emmanuel Tupas, Romina Cabrera