Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, former president Rodrigo Duterte’s then-Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, has been accused by his previous subordinate of being a “protector” of drug syndicates, including alleged big-time drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.
At the third hearing of the House quad comm on Wednesday, Police Col. Jovie Espenido undauntedly implicated his former superior De la Rosa as one of the police top officers shielding Espinosa, whose drug group was disbanded following an operation spearheaded by Espenido himself in mid-2016.
“I believe Chief De la Rosa was involved in the dismissal of the cases that l built up against Kerwin Espinosa including the burying of the cases that I was building against his police protectors or coddlers who have been receiving money from him,” Espenido declared in the affidavit he read before quad comm.
“I can say this because instead of allowing my unhampered access to Kerwin when he was apprehended in Dubai, he immediately ordered Kerwin's turnover to AIDG (PNP Anti-Illegal Drug Group) instead of ordering his turnover to my unit which was then investigating the drug cases where Kerwin was involved,” he added.
Espenido was “personally handpicked” by De la Rosa through a phone call as the Chief of Police of Albuera, Leyte, where Espinona’s group was operating, according to his affidavit.
“The only instruction was, ‘Help me, Jovie, and President Duterte, about this war against illegal drugs. Do your best. I will assign you as chief of police of Albuera, so you should eliminate drugs there in Albuera’,” he explained.
“Your honor, Mr. Chair, there is only one general word to give to the police, we all know the meaning. When you say disappear, that includes killing…That is very obvious for us an officer, your honor.”
Espenido was assigned to the post on 13 July 2016, just two weeks after Duterte assumed office.
He claimed he was able to disband Espinosa’s drug group, 18 days after he assumed the post, with Kerwin's father, then-Albuera mayor Rolando Espinosa, later voluntarily turning himself to him.
Espenido confirmed that the father and son are in cahoots with each other on the illegal drug trade.
“Later, Kerwin's henchmen who were involved in the drug trade followed suit, by surrendering to me,” Espenido disclosed.
Espenido alleged that the late mayor Espinosa had submitted affidavits including a ledger containing names of police generals and other PNP officials who received bribes from their drug operations.
These payouts were intended to allow the Espinosas’ unhampered drug ops in Eastern Visayas, including some parts of Luzon and Mindanao, according to Espenido.
“When mayor Espinosa was still alive, he was still in my [custody], he always said, 'Sir Jov, there is no Espinosa, there is no drug lord without the permission of the police. [There is] no Parojinog, without the permission of the Army.’ That’s [when] Kuratong Baleleng started,” Espenido said in Filipino.
Kuratong Baleleng is a notorious crime syndicate in the Philippines, involved in illegal drugs, kidnapping, robberies, and drug trafficking, among others. It was then headed by Octavio Parojinog.
The Parojinogs, including then Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, were among those included in Duterte’s list of narcopoliticans.
Reynaldo was killed along with his wife Susan, his brother, Octavio Parojinog Jr., and their sister Mona, and 14 others in a series of police raids in San Roque Lawis, Ozamiz City in late July of 2017.
"These organized crime groups, to tell you in my 28 years of service, are only here in the PNP. Drugs, illegal gambling, carnapping, kidnapping, coming from the PNP, your honor, Mr. Chair. I will not be afraid to say because the police here know what the job is, what the police are,” Espenido added.
The allegations of bribe, Espenido asserted, eventually prompted him to initiate cases against erring PNP officials reportedly received commissioned from the Espinosas.
Then-mayor Espinosa, who was turned over in Baybay City Provincial Jail from Espenido’s custody following his revelation, was shot dead in his cell while being served a search warrant by CIDG Region 8 in November 2016.
Espenido reckoned he visited De la Rosa at his office in Camp Crame to submit his accomplishment report in Albuera, including the police receiving kickbacks from Espinosas.
“In that meeting, however, he told me that Kerwin Espinosa had alleged that I was on the take from his group for 20,000 pesos per month. I told him I was ready to resign if there was evidence that I received money from Kerwin as there is no truth to this,” he lamented.
“I was eventually cleared by Kerwin who said I was the only one who did not get money from him and his group in one of the Senate Hearings where he was invited as a resource speaker,” he added.
However, despite Kerwin’s retracted allegations, the handling of Espinosas’ cases was removed from Espenido’s jurisdiction as Senior Supt. Alberto Ferro, the former director of the PNP-AIDG, backed Kerwin’s alleged false claims.
Espenido detailed he was engaged in a heated confrontation with Ferro before De la Rosa for peddling false stories.
“They wanted to attack my credibility so as to discredit the cases I have filed against my senior officers who were receiving money from the Espinosas. Nobody would believe my statements if I am tainted as a paid protector of Kerwin,” he stressed.
Case dismissed
Espenido explained he also had not heard again of the cases that were supposed to be filed against Kerwin's police protectors, or if they had been filed in the first place.
Later, the cases against Kerwin, which were turned over to the CIDG, were ordered dismissed.
“Next thing I knew, l was already being sent off to be killed in Ozamiz City in the guise of dismantling the drug operations there,” he said, referring to Parajinogs.
Such marching order, he claimed, was given by no less than De la Rosa himself.
“They saw their man Kerwin Espinosa disbanded, [so they ordered] put Espenido in Ozamis to die,” he said in Filipino.
“That instruction was to [kill] me because they were furious that I disbanded Kerwin Espinosa. Why am I saying this? Kerwin Espinosa is their man. [How did I say?] because [the case] was not given to me,” he added.
Espenido stated he accepted the Ozamis assignment pursuant to De la Rosa’s order.
He said he has a meeting with Mayor Parojinog inside a Baptist church to inform them of his mission in Ozamiz and to give them a chance to voluntarily surrender.
“In the said meeting they denied involvement in any illegal activity. Mayor Aldong Parojinog even added that he is just being politically persecuted,” Espenido said.
He added, “Parojinog's family had the same experience as Melvin Odicta and Kerwin Espinosa. Police elements helped them set up their drug operations.”
A search warrant was issued to Espenido’s police unit and the CIDG to search the premises of the residence and farm of Mayor Parojinog.
“We enforced them through a simultaneous search around 2 a.m. of July 30, 2017, a Sunday. Sixteen people were killed in these police operations, including Mayor Parojinog and his wife,” he said.
“Chief Bato and President Duterte arrived shortly thereafter to congratulate our unit for the successful raid. The Parojinogs had been neutralized. We were even awarded a plaque of recognition,” he added.
After which, Espenido claimed he was summoned anew to Camp Crame and was again “subjected to another intrigue: then P/MGen. Archie Gamboa told me that I have links to a Malaysian drug trafficking group.”
“From my experience, I can say that the PNP is the biggest crime group in this country. I did my job faithfully but I could not be promoted because I am always in some derogatory list,” he lamented.
“They are the frontmen labeled as drug lords. But in truth, there can be no drug lords without policemen protecting them,” stressed.
De la Rosa has been repeatedly invited by the panel, but is defiant to attend the hearing.
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