Espenido not qualified for Iloilo post, cops say

ILOILO CITY — Police officials in Western Visayas questioned why Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido was being assigned to a position that is usually assigned to a higher ranking police official.

Western Visayas regional police spokesperson Supt. Gilbert Gorero said they had not received any assignment or posting order involving Espenido after President Rodrigo Duterte announced his new assignment on Monday.

But police officials here were already grumbling why a chief inspector was being assigned as Iloilo City police chief when the post is usually assigned to a senior superintendent.

Gorero confirmed that under the Philippine National Police’s organizational structure and “staffing pattern,” only senior superintendents are designated provincial or city police director.

Currently, the Iloilo City police is headed by Senior Supt. Remus Zacharias Canieso, while the provincial police is led by Senior Supt. Marlon Tayaba.

The posts of deputy chief of the city and provincial police are also usually assigned to superintendents.

Since Espenido is two ranks below senior superintendent and one rank below superintendent, he can only be designated station commander or head of one of the police’s line units, like intelligence, operations and administration.

“But it will depend on the orders from our headquarters whether it is a general order of assignment to [the Police Regional Office-6] or a specific designation,” Gorero said.

In a recent visit, PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa, who himself skipped two ranks when he was designated PNP director general, said there was no plan to assign Espenido to Iloilo because there were incumbent officials qualified to do the job.

But on Monday, Mr. Duterte announced Espenido’s assignment to Iloilo after decorating him with the Magalong Medal of the newly created Order of Lapu-Lapu.

Mr. Duterte announced the assignment after he repeated his accusation that Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog was a protector of drug traffickers.

Mr. Duterte also publicly asked Espenido if Mabilog will also die, like Mayor Rolando Espinosa of Albuera, Leyte, and Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog of Ozamiz City, who were both killed when Espenido was their police chief.

Mabilog has repeatedly denied involvement in the illegal drugs trade and told city hall employees “with God as my witness, I have never protected anyone in illegal drugs.”

Even one of Mabilog’s top political rivals said it was unfair to compare the Iloilo City mayor to Espinosa and Parojinog.

“I accused him before of having close ties with known drug personalities but he was never a drug lord or a warlord,” said city councilor Plaridel Nava.

Nava said slain alleged drug lord Melvin Odicta was already a drug personality even before Mabilog became mayor in 2010.