PNP relegates Espenido case to Region 6 office

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa said he will leave it up to the head of the Police Regional Office IV to deal with Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido following his remarks about his inclusion in the narco list.

Espenido has been required to explain before the Western Visayas Regional Office his comments at a recent press briefing. 

Gamboa said it would be PRO-IV director Brig. Gen. Rene Pamuspusan who will take charge of the process as a matter of procedure. 

“Based on the appreciation of the explanation of Espenido, should it or should it not convince the RD, then appropriate pre-charge would be executed,” he told reporters.

Gamboa said Espenido will not be facing the grave offense of insubordination but still the official still faces an investigation.

Gamboa earlier said that he will deal with Espenido internally after he went on an offensive against corrupt officials and police officers who he said may be behind his inclusion in President Duterte’s narco list of policemen, politicians and other government officials allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade. 

It was Interior Secretary Eduardo Año who confirmed that Espenido is included in the narco list while Gamboa refused to name any of the concerned policemen. 

Espenido and the other policemen included in the list of 357 individuals were ordered to keep silent on the issue while the adjudication process to purge the narcolist was ongoing. 

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas said that one of the seven policemen who tested positive for illegal drugs is included in the narco list, but maintained he would not reveal any name.