Iloilo Mayor Mabilog On Espenido: He’s Welcome But I Pray To God For His Protection
Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog is baffled but
welcomes President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement that Chief Insp. Jovie
Espenido will be assigned in Iloilo.
“I am puzzled that Chief Inspector Espenido is being
assigned here, and that the President has again mentioned my name. But if that
is his directive, then I will work closely and cooperate with Chief Inspector
Espenido in completely wiping out the remnants, if there are still any, of the
illegal drug syndicate in Iloilo City,” Mabilog said in a statement.
President Duterte last year linked Mabilog to the narcotics
trade.
He also linked Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. of Albuera, Leyte
province, and Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. of Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental
province, to illegal drugs.
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 November 5
last year.
Espenido was deployed to Ozamiz as chief of police there and
on July 30, Parojinog and 14 others, including his wife, were killed in a
police drug raid.
Asked whether Espenido’s assignment to Iloilo was a cause
for concern for his and his family’s safety.
“I have gone past being afraid. I know I have done what
needs to be done to stop illegal drugs in the city. If I didn’t do enough in the
past, I am truly remorseful,” said Mabilog.
He said he had “almost wholly focused” his efforts on the
eradication of drugs in his city during the past year.
“Even if I was effectively stripped of my powers of
supervision and control over the police, I poured everything within my
authority as local chief executive to help the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement
Agency) and PNP (Philippine National Police) in pursuing this war,” Mabilog said.
“I pray to God for His protection and guidance. I entrust
everything unto Him. I pray that my family will always stay out of harm’s way,”
he added.
Mabilog said he hoped Espenido’s assignment in Iloilo would
give President Duterte a clearer picture of the drug situation in the city.
Source: Inquirer
Iloilo Mayor Mabilog On Espenido: He’s Welcome But I Pray To God For His Protection
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August 29, 2017
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