ILOILO City – Why was controversial Police Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido suddenly pulled out from the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO)?
The abrupt relief order surprised the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
“We really do not know the reason. Basta kami kun may order, ga-follow lang kami,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, regional police information officer.
The relief order from the Philippine National Police (PNP) national headquarters was dated Feb. 5 yet but was received by the PRO-6 only on Friday last week, Feb. 7.
It was issued some two weeks after Espenido described Bacolod City as “shabulized”.
“Panay ang huli ng pulis…Marami palang drugs,” said Espenido.
Espenido was the deputy director for operations of the BCPO and also headed the City Drug Enforcement Unit – for only three months since October 2019 when he was assigned to Bacolod City.
“When we received the relief order, we immediately informed the BCPO director. The order did not state the reason,” said Malong.
The order came from the PNP chief himself, Police Lieutenant General Archie Gamboa. He reassigned Espenido to his office in Camp Crame on floating status.
The relief order was signed by Major General Reynaldo Biay, the PNP director for personnel and records management, and released by Major General Cesar Hawthorne Binag, acting chief of the PNP directorial staff.
As this was being written, Espenido’s replacement in the BCPO was yet to be named.
Even as Espenido tagged Bacolod City “shabulized”, he expressed confidence that “everything has an end.”
“Mabenta daw dito…very easy magbili ng drugs. Tingnan natin kung hanggang kailan,” said Espenido.
He urged leaders and members of various drug groups to stop their illegal activities, present themselves at the BCPO and help the city police make Bacolod drug-free.
He mentioned the Tolentino, Ramos, Cuadra, and Camaria groups but these mostly operate in Negros Occidental.
Prior to his Bacolod City assignment, Espenido was the police chief of Ozamiz City.
On July 30, 2017 Ozamiz City’s Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and 14 others were killed in a shootout led by Espenido who was serving search warrants at Parojinog’s properties in barangays Baybay San Roque and Baybay Santa Cruz.
In November 2016, Espenido was also the police chief of Albuera, Leyte when its mayor, Rolando Espinosa Sr., was killed in a shootout as police were attempting to serve a search warrant.
Both Parojinog and Espinosa were linked by President Rodrigo Duterte to illegal drugs.
In Aug. 28, 2017 Espenido was reassigned by no less than the President from Ozamiz City to Iloilo City that he branded as “most shabulized.”
The reassignment, however, was recalled just days after by Duterte himself who said he was giving in to the requests of the residents of Ozamiz City not to transfer Espenido yet.
On the day Espenido was named the BCPO’s deputy director for operations on Oct. 16, 2019, he declared: “We are police officers, not killers. But if drug dealers resist arrest and fight us, we have to protect ourselves.”/PN
