Duterte: Espenido only a victim of hatchet job

MANILA, Philippines — Despite Police Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido’s inclusion in a controversial black list of drug personalities, President Rodrigo Duterte personally vouched for the innocence of Espenido and described the police official as “a victim of an orchestrated effort to discredit him.”

The President made the remark in an interview aired over GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Saturday night.—Julie M. Aurelio