Police Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido AP Photo
“God’s will,” Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido said when asked if Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog will live or not.
Mabilog has been linked by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte to the narcotics trade, like Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. and Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr.
“Sa Iloilo, intayin n’yo muna ako kung mamatay man yung mayor… Pro-life tayo (In Iloilo, just wait for it if the mayor dies or not… We are pro-life),” Espenido told reporters.
He maintained that he is merely following orders and pray for guidance that he will successfully fulfill his mandate given by the President.
“I am pro-life, a professional law enforcer. Those who do no wrong have nothing to fear,” he added.
Espenido was the Albuera police chief when police raided the subprovincial jail in Baybay City, where Espinosa was held on drug charges, and shot dead the mayor and another inmate in an alleged shootout on Nov. 5 last year.
Espenido was deployed to Ozamiz as chief of police there when, on July 30, Parojinog and 14 others, including his wife, were killed in a police drug raid.
Duterte himself mentioned of pattern of deaths of local officials where coincidentally, Espenido has been assigned.
The controversial police officer was at the Department of Justice (DOJ) to submit his counter-affidavit on a murder complaint regarding the police operation against members of the martilyo gang.
When asked for any message to Mayor Mabilog, he said “regards lang. Kita kits tayo (regards only. We’ll see each other).” JPV