Bato, Go dismiss Espenido’s claim of brutal drug war of past admin

Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa. Senate PRIB file photo / Cesar Tomambo

MANILA, Philippines — Former top cop-turned-politician Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa insisted on Wednesday that he did not order Police Col. Jovie Espenido to kill illegal drug users in Albuera, Leyte.

“I-neutralize ang drugs? O? Anong masama pala nito kung i-neutralize ang drugs? We have to neutralize the drug problem, ‘di ba? Bakit, sinabi ko bang patayin ‘yung tao? Wala naman akong sinabing patayin ‘yung tao,” dela Rosa told reporters in an ambush interview on Wednesday.

(Neutralize drugs? What’s so bad about neutralizing drugs? We have to neutralize the drug problem, don’t we? Why?  Did I say kill any person? I didn’t say anything to kill anyone.)

Dela Rosa’s remarks came after Espenido, a central figure in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal drug war, revealed that dela Rosa had ordered him to “get rid of” or  kill illegal drug users in Leyte.

Later in the ambush interview, dela Rosa said he wants to see how Espenido delivered the claims. He then explained that what he ordered was to ensure, in a legal way, that the drug problem in Albuera  be stopped.

“Kaya ka in-assign diyan para trabahuhin mo ‘yung droga. Wala man akong sinabing: ‘In-assign kita diyan para patayin mo lahat ng mga adik diyan, lahat ng mga pusher diyan, patayin mo.’  Wala man akong sinabing gano’n, ‘di ba?” said dela Rosa.

(That’s why you were assigned there to work on drugs. I didn’t even say — “I assigned you there to kill all the addicts there, all the pushers there, kill them.”  I didn’t say anything like that, did I?)

In a separate statement also issued Wednesday, Sen. Bong Go likewise denied Espenido’s claims that he handled money earned from Philippine offshore gaming operators.

According to Espenido, he was informed that Pogo money, small town lottery, and intelligence funds were used to reward police officers who implemented the Duterte administration’s anti-drug operations.

“Si Espenido na mismo ang umamin noong hearing sa House of Representatives na wala siyang direktang impormasyon o ebidensya na makapagsasabi na may kaugnayan ako sa anumang Pogo-drug war links. In other words, hearsay lamang ang isinaad niya kaya nakapagtataka kung bakit naging parte pa ng kanyang affidavit ang aking pangalan,” said Go.

(Espenido himself admitted during the hearing in the House of Representatives that he has no direct information or evidence to say that I am related to any Pogo-drug war links. In other words, he stated only hearsay, so it is surprising why my name was even part of his affidavit.)

Go said he never handled any funds related to the drug war when he was still  Duterte’s special assistant to the President.