Espenido’s next City assignment : ILOILO City

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

Albuera,Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and Ozamiz Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog- both tagged as Narco-politicians have already been neutralized in the police operations headed by Espenido.

Iloilo city has been branded by President Duterte as the “most shabulized” province and has linked several government officials to the illegal trade- most notably Senator Frank Drilon relative- Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog.

PNP Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido and his Commander and Chief President Rodrigo Roa Duterte(photo credit to ABS-CBN)

Mayor Jed Mabilog, has denied the accusations of the president, the first time he heard his name in the narco-list showed by Duterte in the media.

“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.

National hero’s Day celebration

The President during his National Hereo’s Day celebration speech, Duterte reminded Espenido that murder or any kind of unlawful killing is not allowed in the conduct of the anti-drugs campaign.

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.

Reports from PhilStar.com