Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief under President Rodrigo Duterte, has been accused by his former subordinate, Police Col. Jovie Espenido, of being a “protector” of drug syndicates, including the alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.

In a gripping testimony during the third House quad committee hearing, Espenido implicated Dela Rosa as one of the top police officials shielding Espinosa.

Espenido claimed that Dela Rosa played a role in dismissing cases he built against Espinosa and obstructing investigations into the drug lord’s police protectors.

He read from his affidavit, stating, “I believe Chief Dela Rosa was involved in the dismissal of the cases that I built up against Kerwin Espinosa, including burying the cases against his police protectors who were receiving money from him.”

He criticized Dela Rosa for redirecting Espinosa’s custody from his unit to the PNP Anti-Illegal Drug Group (AIDG), hindering his investigation.

Espenido, who was “personally handpicked” by Dela Rosa as chief of police in Albuera, Leyte, in July 2016, was given the directive to combat drugs aggressively. He described the term “disappear” in the context of police instructions as implying severe actions, including killings.

During his tenure in Albuera, Espenido claimed to have dismantled Espinosa’s drug network within 18 days. He alleged that Espinosa’s father, then-Mayor Rolando Espinosa, voluntarily surrendered, providing affidavits and a ledger that implicated police officials in accepting bribes to facilitate the Espinosas’ drug operations.

Espenido also linked the late Mayor Espinosa to organized crime groups such as Kuratong Baleleng, which was involved in various illegal activities. He asserted that the Espinosas’ drug operations extended beyond Eastern Visayas to parts of Luzon and Mindanao, facilitated by corrupt police officials.

He recounted a police raid in July 2017 that resulted in the deaths of 16 individuals, including Mayor Parojinog and his wife, during simultaneous searches of their properties.

Espenido’s team was later praised by Dela Rosa and President Duterte for their success in neutralizing the Parojinogs.

Despite his efforts, Espenido claimed that he faced further intrigue and was subjected to allegations of ties to a Malaysian drug trafficking group, which he argued were attempts to discredit him. He asserted that his dedicated service was marred by continuous obstacles and derogatory lists within the PNP.

Dela Rosa has been repeatedly invited to address these serious allegations but has yet to attend the hearings.

Espenido also confirmed the existence of a quota and reward system in the PNP during the implementation of Duterte’s bloody drug war.

He alleged that the funds, which were granted to police who hit their supposed quota, came from the illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO), which was channeled through then-Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go, a renowned close ally of the former president.

“Even intelligence funds were used in the drug war. POGO money was also used. After these POGOs were able to register with the government, funding was funneled downward from the level of Bong Go,” he said in his affidavit.

Go flatly rejected claims linking him to illegal activities associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) and the ongoing drug war.

“I can categorically state that I have never been involved with any POGO or the so-called reward system in the drug war,” the individual asserted in Filipino. “When I was Special Assistant to the President, I never handled any funds related to the drug war, and the same goes for my time as a senator starting in 2019. I have never received or handled money from anyone. My colleagues can confirm this.”

“Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs began in 2016, long before POGO became a prominent issue,” he stated. “There is an apparent effort to intertwine POGO with the drug war narrative, but POGO has no bearing on Duterte’s administration.”