Police colonel accuses ‘Bato’ of being drug protector

National

A POLICE Colonel has thrown serious allegations against Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, the former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

During the third House quad committee hearing on Wednesday, August 28, e Col. Jovie Espenido testified that de la Rosa protected drug syndicates, including the notorious drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.

Espenido accused de la Rosa of interfering with and dismissing the cases he built against Espinosa and his associates.

Espenido claimed that de la Rosa rerouted Espinosa’s custody to the PNP Anti-Illegal Drug Group (AIDG) instead of allowing his unit to continue the investigation.

In his affidavit submitted to the committee, Espenido asserted that de la Rosa obstructed his efforts to gather evidence against Espinosa’s police protectors.

In July 2016, De la Rosa appointed Espenido as chief of police in Albuera, Leyte, with instructions to tackle drug operations aggressively. Espenido claimed he dismantled Espinosa’s network within 18 days of his assignment.

He also alleged that Espinosa’s father, then-Mayor Rolando Espinosa, provided affidavits implicating police officials in accepting bribes to shield the drug operations. Espenido connected the Espinosas to organized crime groups, such as Kuratong Baleleng.

Espenido described a July 2017 police raid in Ozamiz City, which resulted in the deaths of 16 people, including Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and his family.

Despite receiving praise from De la Rosa and Duterte for the operation, Espenido later faced allegations of ties to a Malaysian drug trafficking group. He argued these allegations aimed to discredit him and hinder his efforts to expose corruption within the PNP.

Espenido also accused Senator Bong Go of using intelligence funds and money from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) to support a quota and reward system in the drug war.

Go firmly denied these accusations, stating he was never involved in such activities and asserting that POGO money did not influence the drug war.

In response, De la Rosa defended his actions, claiming that addressing the drug problem did not involve any wrongdoing and denying any orders for killings. He explained that the police were expected to neutralize drug threats in their areas of responsibility.

The ongoing hearings have called for de la Rosa’s attendance to address these serious allegations, but he has not yet responded in person.(MyTVCebu)