ILOILO City – Police Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido will undergo summary hearing for violating the gag order of the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, General Archie Francisco Gamboa.
The Police Regional Office 6’s (PRO-6) Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division found probable cause to proceed with the investigation on Espenido, the sacked deputy director for operations of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), announced Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, Western Visayas police director.
Despite the gag order, Espenido held an unauthorized press conference in Bacolod City on Feb. 19 and granted media interviews in Iloilo City on Feb. 20. He questioned his inclusion in the government’s drug watch list and criticized the police organization for “failure of intelligence”.
The summary hearing would be conducted by the Regional Internal Affairs Service (RIAS) of the PRO-6. Espenido would be given the opportunity to defend himself.
According to Pamuspusan, Espenido reasoned out he talked to the press only because he wanted to defend his dignity.
“Parang binale-wala nya ang ‘yong pagiging member nya ng PNP. Para sa kanya, mas importante na ma-maintain nya ang dignity nya as a person, and he has to defend his dignity,” said Pamuspusan.
In a meeting with over 350 policemen included in the government’s drug watch list in early February, Gamboa ordered them not discuss the matter in public while verification is ongoing.
As of this writing, Espenido is on floating status at the PRO-6 headquarters in Camp Delgado here. He is temporarily stationed at the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit.
Talking to Iloilo journalists on Feb. 20, Espenido said he does not fear issuing a statement despite a gag order.
“Kung sakaling ano ang mangyari, kasi nagpa-interview ako, I will suffer the consequences,” Espenido said.
He added: “This is my right. I have my personal right. ‘Wag ninyo lang akong bawalan or else wala akong magawa din. Demokrasya tayo. Kung kasuhan ako, kung ito na lang ang paraan na ma-dismiss ako sa serbisyo, then let it be.”
In his Bacolod City press conference, on the other hand, Espenido accused unnamed “influential politicians” of scheming to include his name in the government’s list of policemen with alleged links to illegal drugs, but he did not say if these politicians were based in Bacolod City or Negros Occidental, or elsewhere in the country.
Former national police chief and now senator Ronald Dela Rosa took offense on Espenido’s recent actions which he said were putting the police institution in a bad light.
“You are still in the PNP organization. You observe what should be observed. Talking indiscriminately is not observing the proper decorum. Otherwise, kung gusto niya magsalita nang magsalita against the PNP, lumabas siya, umalis siya,” Dela Rosa said./PN
