Malacañang would not change its mind on the controversial reassignment of Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido as the chief of police of Ozamiz City amid calls from certain individuals for its revocation.
Lower crime rate
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Sunday defended the reassignment of Espenido, saying the decreased crime rate in the city was a legacy that could be attributed to his performance there.
“Therefore, with more reason that he should be allowed to go back there because he was able to lower crime there,”
Panelo said of Espenido, whom President Duterte has highly spoken of.
He was reacting to the call of a group which called itself the Concerned Ozamiz Professionals, which is opposing the police official’s return to the city.
Panelo said the group’s existence was dubious, while the locals who asked the President to bring back Espenido to their city were not.
“The people who were seen on video while the President was speaking, they were asking for Espenido to come back. It means there is a call for his
return,” he said.
Panelo added: “These so-called professionals, we don’t know if they are for real. Maybe they are against the continued peace and order in their community.”
Narco raid
Espenido was moved to another post after leading a raid that led to the killing of alleged “narcopolitician” and Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. and 14 others last year.
Before this, he was the chief of police of Albuera, Leyte, when then Mayor Rolando
Espinosa was killed in police custody.
Panelo said people should be glad that the President was doing something to address the crime problem through police officials like Espenido.
“If the crime rate went down, it’s because of Espenido. Then you should let him return so that the crime in their area would be decimated,” he said.