MANILA – Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has firmly denied allegations that he issued orders to kill drug suspects in Albuera, Leyte during his tenure as the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
According to Philippines News Agency, the claims made by Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido, the former police chief of Albuera, are a misinterpretation. Espenido had alleged that both Senators Christopher Go and Dela Rosa had directed police officers to use “all means necessary” to address the drug issues in the town. Dela Rosa clarified his instructions in an interview with One News: “My instruction was very specific: ‘Espenido, go to Albuera, Leyte to clean up the drugs in the area and confront the Espinosa Crime Syndicate. I never instructed to kill anyone arbitrarily. If that’s his interpretation, that’s on him.”
Espenido’s controversial allegations were detailed in a seven-page affidavit submitted to the Quad Committee of the House of Representatives on Wednesday. He also mentioned a supposed reward and quota system during President Duterte’s war on drugs, allegedly funded by small town lottery and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) revenues. Dela Rosa also refuted the existence of such a system, emphasizing the unfamiliarity with POGO at the time of Espenido’s assignment in 2016.
“I assigned Espenido there in 2016. The term POGO was not yet familiar. POGO only became known in these past years when many abuses happened in POGO. I’m not saying there was no POGO back then, but it was not known,” Dela Rosa explained. He also stressed that he never offered monetary rewards for killing drug personalities, instead promising promotions based on good performance, which included Espenido.
The Philippine National Police expressed disappointment over Espenido’s claims, particularly his characterization of the PNP as the “largest organized crime group” in the country. PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo described Espenido’s statement as “sweeping,” impacting the reputation of the entire police organization. Fajardo highlighted that while there may be individual cases of misconduct, these do not reflect the integrity and dedication of the majority of the police force.