BACOLOD City – No names have surfaced until now as possible replacement of Police Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido, who served as deputy director for operations of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO).
On Friday, the controversial drug czar was relieved from his post for still undisclosed reasons – only four months after President Rodrigo Duterte sent him in this city.
“I did not yet receive the official copy of the relief order from the Camp Crame, but once we got the copy that’s the time I can designate somebody for the post,” BCPO chief Colonel Henry Biñas said.
Orders from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Directorate for Personnel and Records Management showed Espenido has been recalled to the national police headquarters in Camp Crame and reassigned to the Office of the PNP Chief.
For the mean time, Biñas said,
Lieutenant Colonel Levy Pangue, BCPO deputy city director for administration,
will supervise the position vacated by Espenido as well as the City Drug
Enforcement Unit.
The city top cop assured Bacolodnons that BCPO will still be relentless in
their bid to eradicate illegal drugs even in the absence of Espenido.
“Even with Espenido or without Espenido, the BCPO are still working and that was the reason why President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered Espenido’s reassignment in this city because of the big accomplishments of the BCPO in the campaign against illegal drugs,” Biñas said.
Espenido was the police chief of Ozamiz City prior to his Bacolod reassignment. He assured the people of Bacolod City that policemen uphold the rule of law and are true to their mission to serve and protect the public. But he won’t promise a bloodless drug war.
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 Duterte to illegal drugs./PN
