OZAMIZ CITY—Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. said he welcomed the arrival of controversial Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido as the new police chief here so they can work together “in fighting illegal drugs and in maintaining peace and order.”
Espenido came from Albuera, Leyte and was involved in controversy when he filed criminal cases against suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and his father Rolando Sr., who was killed inside his detention cell in Baybay, Leyte by operatives of the Criminal and Investigation Detection Group last month.
Aside from Espenido, 15 other police officers from Albuera were transferred to Ozamiz as well, said Supt. Surki Sereñas, the regional police office spokesperson.
Sereñas said the officers were supposed to arrive at the police regional office on Dec. 8, but they requested to report for duty at the PNP-10 headquarters at Camp Alagar, Barangay Lapasan on Dec. 19 instead.
He said the reassignment is part of the Philippine National Police headquarters transfer program, noting that the order came from PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa himself and not from the regional director, as was the usual practice in the past.
Earlier, Espenido said it is his duty to obey orders from the PNP higher command, although he insisted he did not know why he was being transferred from Visayas to Mindanao.
For his part, Parojinog said he is ready to work with Espenido as Ozamiz’s new city police director.
In an interview, the mayor said he prefers a police chief who is not from Ozamiz so he can be effective in helping the city government’s anti-drug campaign in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive.
Since Espenido is “a stranger” in Ozamiz, his work “will not be influenced by anyone,” he said.
“That way, he can really dig deeper and the truth will come out,” Parojinog said, referring to some reports that mistakenly identified local government officials as involved in the illegal drug trade.
He said he and his daughter, Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog, were among those on Duterte’s “narco-list,” an accusation he denied. He cited his “relentless efforts” to stamp out the shabu trade in Ozamis, even before the President declared war against illegal drugs.
The city’s support to the police, such as transportation, fuel and other logistical needs, will always be provided “no matter who sits as the city police chief,” the mayor added.
Parojinog said he expects Espenido to reimplement the police visibility campaign, especially in Ozamiz’s commercial district to prevent criminal activities.