Espenido probed for violating gag order

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Instead of granting media interviews, controversial Police Lt. Colonel Jovie Espenido will have to answer queries from his superiors for allegedly violating Philippine National Police (PNP) internal instructions.

Specifically, Espenido will face administrative inquiry why he called for a press conference despite a “gag order” from no less than PNP chief General Archie Gamboa.

The gag order prohibited police personnel from commenting on issues surrounding the 357 policemen in the PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) narco list.

Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan on Monday confirmed that he summoned Espenido to his office last week.

“I asked for his explanation why he had a press conference despite the instruction of no-less than our PNP chief for us to just wait for the announcement of Camp Crame regarding the list,” he said.

The region’s top cop said that the PNP leadership might have regarded Espenido’s action as a violation of the PNP chief’s orders.

“I asked him for his inappropriate conduct of holding a presscon because that’s not authorized or sanctioned by our leadership,” he said.

Pamuspusan said Espenido is willing to be investigated on the issue.

“He was very apologetic to the chief PNP. Despite that, I told him that we still need to follow the regulations of the PNP,” he said.

Espenido already submitted his written explanation with the Regional Personnel and Human Resource Doctrine Division.

Pamuspusan said he expected to have the explanation on his table on Monday (Feb. 24) so it can be analyzed and studied.

Police Brigadier General Alexander Sampaga, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) deputy regional director for administration, will explore possible PNP policies and regulations Espenido may have violated.

“And if warranted, we will proceed with the administrative case against him,” he said.

 

A MIND OF HIS OWN?

After the Bacolod City presscon, Espenido also held another media interview in Iloilo City where he again made several controversial pronouncements.

He claimed that the government can go after him since his name was on the PRRD narco list.

Espenido was quoted to have said that there would be no other entity, apart from the government and the police, which can kill him.

But Pamuspusan said Espenido claimed that he just answered queries during an ambush interview.

But it appeared that it was not an ambush interview as media personalities were given a heads up that he’s willing to answer questions on the day he was interviewed.

“Maybe that happened before he reported to me. Alam mo si Lt. Colonel Espenido, he’s respectful towards the media and other persons. Siguro naging nature niya ‘yan without him thinking that they there was a standing order from the PNP that we all should be silent about this and wait for the completion of the adjudication before we give any statement to the media,” Pamuspusan said.

But other observers claimed that the PNP has had enough of Espenido giving media interviews without coordinating with the leadership.

Last month, Espenido, who used to head of the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU), said Bacolod can be considered a “shabulized area” for the meantime.

But it appeared that Espenido might have spilled a rather sensitive statement without the go signal from the PRO-6 hierarchy.

A day after Espenido made the statement, PRO-6 spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong was asked about the new tag used to label Bacolod City.

Malong just said that it was Espenido’s own personal opinion.

“As far as we’re concerned, the term shabulized is not on our parameters,” she said.

Despite several inquiries, PNP chief General Archie Francisco Gamboa was evasive in answering questions if Espenido, the government’s “poster boy” on illegal drugs, was included in the PRRD drugs list.

While Gamboa did not confirm nor deny Espenido’s inclusion, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año confirmed of Espenido’s inclusion.

Espenido then defended himself by saying that his inclusion in the narco list was due to failure of intelligence.