By Argyll Geducos
Malacañang said it will have to verify if Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido, one of the poster boys of President Duterte's drug war, was really included in the chief executive's drug list.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made the statement after online news organization Rappler reported that Espenido was confirmed to be included in the said list.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo (OPS / MANILA BULLETIN)
In an interview at Malacañang, Panelo doubted the report simply because it came from Rappler, one of the news organizations critical of President Duterte.
"It's coming from Rappler, which is known to be spreading false news... Basta Rappler laging kwestyunable, eh (If it’s Rappler, it’s always questionable)," he said Wednesday.
However, Panelo said they will verify the report. He also gave the assurance that President Duterte will investigate once he receives a copy of the list which includes Espenido.
"What I'm saying is we should verify that. I-va-validate natin the (We will validate its) veracity," he said. "If that is officially received by the Office of the President, the President will investigate."
Espenido landed in the news after two suspected narcopoliticians ended up dead during his stint as police chief in Albuera, Leyte, and Ozamiz City.
Espenido was the chief of police of Albuera 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 that led to the killing of Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and several others.
Following the controversial raid in Ozamiz City, Durterte gave Espenido a special award for his outstanding performance in the anti-illegal drug operations in Eastern Visayas and Ozamiz City.
In October last year, Duterte said he moved the controversial cop to Bacolod City to resolve the illegal drugs issue there once and for all. He even said he gave Espenido the green light to "kill everybody" there.
"Bacolod is badly hit now. I placed Espenido there, yung kinatakutan nila na pulis (the policeman they are afraid of)," the President said.
"Sabi ko (I said), 'Go there and you are free to kill everybody.' ‘T*** i**** 'yan. 'Start killing them. Dalawa na tayo magpa-preso’ (We’ll both be jailed)."
On Monday, Duterte said he told new Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Archie Gamboa to remove all cops tainted with illegal drugs. It was reported that Gamboa on Friday convened a meeting with police officers included in Duterte's drug list. Rappler reported that Espenido was present at the meeting.
Duterte earlier said the involvement of some members of the PNP was one of the reasons why illegal drugs remain a problem for the Philippines.