President Rodrigo Duterte’s view on Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido may change if there is evidence proving his involvement in illegal drugs, the Palace said Monday even as the police official said his inclusion in the government’s narco-list was a result of a “failure of intelligence.”
In an interview with online news site Rappler, Espenido accused those behind the controversial drug list of failing to vet the information they received. He offered his theory that drug lords have convinced his higher-ups of his involvement in the illegal narcotics trade.
“It was a failure of intelligence gathering because they did not process the information,” Espenido said.
For his part, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte, who earlier vouched for the integrity of Espenido, might still change his mind if there is evidence presented against the official who gained notoriety for leading police operations that resulted in the death of two mayors allegedly involved in the drug trade.
“The President’s position is based on intelligence info given to him but if those circumstances change, then necessarily, you will have to change his position,” Panelo told reporters.
“He (Duterte) always rely on presumption of innocence unless you show him evidence,” the Palace official added.
Panelo also said the Philippine National Police should not let the President’s opinion affect their probe on Espenido who was revealed to be part of Duterte’s drug list.
On Friday, Duterte expressed confidence that Espenido was “clean” and the allegations were merely part of a propaganda, despite the confirmation of Interior Secretary Eduardo Año that the police official was included in the watchlist of those involved in the drug trade.
Año earlier said Espenido will go through adjudication process even if the President vouched for his integrity, and Panelo said this is the “correct position” on the issue, adding that the police official is not yet off the hook.
Espenido was the chief of police of Albuera, Leyte when drug-linked mayor Rolando Espinosa was shot dead inside his jail cell in 2016.
A year later, as Ozamiz police chief, Espenido led the drug raids where mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and several others were killed.
President Duterte praised him for leading those operations.
Meanwhile, PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa said Vice President Leni Robredo’s speculation that an attempt to cover up the 357 police officers in the drug watchlist has no basis.
“Wrong statement because (there is) no basis. We will conduct adjudication. Why would (she) say we’re protecting them? Had we intend to protect them, why did we bare the 357 (cops)? And that’s the last argument I am going to make with that statement,” Gamboa told reporters during Monday’s press briefing at Camp Crame.
Robredo on Sunday warned that any attempt to cover up the police officers allegedly involved in illegal drugs might erode the public’s trust in the PNP.
Gamboa said the ongoing adjudication of the police officers follows the internal disciplinary mechanisms.
“We need to act fast and act now on the adjudication of 357 PNP personnel whom I have ordered reassigned to my office to ensure their availability to face further investigation because I do not want to end my term as chief PNP in September without adjudicating with finality the status of personnel in the drugs watchlist,” he said.
He added that the PNP would still investigate the cops on the list who had gone AWOL (absence without leave).
Of the 357 policemen, a total of 43 had gone AWOL, 15 applied for optional retirement, and one cop is dead.
“It should be understood, however, that even if they avail of my offer to early retirement, it does not extinguish their culpability as determined by the investigation. If proven and there is evidence that
you are still on the watchlist then we will still place you under monitoring and build cases against you,” Gamboa said.
Gamboa has been insisting that he would not divulge the identities of the police officials included in the list.
“I would like to emphasize that all 357 personnel concerned are presumed innocent until the requirements of due process are completely satisfied. I beg your kind indulgence that the PNP needs to keep the
identities of these personnel confidential incidental to their presumption of innocence,” he added.
Gamboa has given the PNP’s National Adjudication Board, under Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan, a month to finish the validation of the information on these police officers.
It is the board that would take action against those on the list, Gamboa added.
“We ourselves are going to process them, adjudicate, and validate the information that they are involved and hopefully those who are innocent may clear their names but those who are not may face the full force of the law,” Gamboa said.
Once completed, the findings of the PNP’s validation will be submitted to President Duterte. –