Duterte grants Espenido request to be sent to Iloilo

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday granted the request of Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido, Ozamiz City police director, to be assigned to Iloilo City.

Two alleged narco-politicians —  Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and Ozamiz Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog —  have already died in police operations in his area of responsibility.

Last year, Duterte branded Iloilo the "most shabulized" province and linked several government officials to the illegal drug trade including Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog.

Mabilog denied the accusations more than a year ago, when his name was first announced as being in Duterte's supposed "narco-list."

“I am willing to open myself for any investigation, cooperate and submit myself to the court of law. Since this is an urgent matter, which endangers my personal security and that of my family, I request that the authorities conduct a speedy investigation for I too want the truth and nothing but the truth to come out,” Mabilog said in August 2016 after going to the regional police headquarters to deny the allegations.

"Ngayon gusto mo sa Iloilo kasi si Mabilog has been identified as a protector mayor. Mabuhay kaya siya? Gusto ko lang tanungin kasi ako na naman ang pagbibintangan," Duterte told Espenido.

'Follow rules of engagement'

During his speech at the National Heroes' Day celebration in Taguig, Duterte reminded Espenido that murder or any kind of unlawful killing is not allowed in the conduct of the anti-drugs campaign.

The president told the Espenido that he does not have to worry as long as he follows the rules of engagement.

The PNP Operations Manual justifies the use of firearms "if the offender poses imminent danger of causing death or injury to the police officer or other persons." According to regulations, "the use of firearm is also justified under the doctrines of self-defense, defense of a relative, and defense of a stranger."

The same manual cautions, however, that "unlawful aggression should be present for self-defense to be considered as a justifying circumstance." 

Duterte, however, said that the police are free to kill whenever their life is in danger and if the person they are arresting is resisting.

"That is my order to you. Always in the performance of a duty because if there is violence then you have to overcome that violence to bring him to the folds of the law and you can put him under your custody, but if he resists and if it is a violent one, I hate to see dead policemen and soldiers performing their duty," Duterte said.

Over the weekend, hundreds gathered to bury Kian delos Santos, a 17-year-old student killed in Caloocan City in an anti-drug operation. Duterte, who has often talked about shooting and killing drug lords and addicts, said of the delos Santos case that he "never promised to protect those who are supposedly engaged in doing their duty but committing a crime in the process." 

The case has renewed calls to halt the violent war on drugs.

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Espenido, who was awarded the Order of Lapu-Lapu, rank of Magalong for his performance in the war on drugs, considers himself pro-life.

In a report on The Freeman over the weekend, he said that he agrees with the call of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle for an end to killings in the drug war.

"Dapat i-stop. Dili man pud na puwede. Ako, pro-life ta… kung kinahanglan or kung necessary gyod pero kung unnecessary, dili na puwede (It should stop. That's not allowed. Me, I'm pro-life. If necessary (you can kill in the line of duty), but if it isn't necessary, that isn't allowed,” he said.

According to the Freeman report, Espenido said he went through fasting to ask for divine guidance days before police served the warrants on the Parojinogs.

READ: Parojiong's lawyer says the raid was 'a massacre'