MANILA — In a testimony before a House investigation on Wednesday, a former police official associated with former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs accused two senators of breaking the law in their efforts to combat the drug problem.

Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido accused Senators Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa and Bong Go of engaging in criminal activities during his testimony to the House quad committee, which includes the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights, and Public Accounts.

In a seven-page affidavit submitted to the House of Representatives quad committee, Lt. Col. Espenido, the former police chief of Albuera, Leyte, claimed that Go had funneled funds obtained from intelligence agencies, small-town lottery and “jueteng” lords, and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) into an alleged “quota and reward system” for Duterte’s drug war.

“Doing it by all means” – Espenido to Solons

According to Espenido, Dela Rosa, then Chief of the Philippine National Police, gave him explicit instructions to “eliminate” illegal drugs in Leyte, which police officers interpreted as “doing it by all means, including killing.”

“His instruction was, ‘Help me and the President about this war. I will assign you as the chief of police in Albuera, so the drugs there should disappear,’” said Espenido, the “poster boy” of Oplan Tokhang.

“Did he elaborate [on] how you would do that?” asked Manila Rep. Joel Chua.

“Among us, sir, we use general words that we know the meaning of,” Espenido replied.

“If they say ‘mawala,’ kasama na ’yung mamatay. That is very obvious for us,” Espenido emphasized.

Bato behind dismissal of cases, Go on funding drug war

Espenido informed the panel that De la Rosa was responsible for the dismissal of cases against Kerwin Espinosa, a suspected drug lord from Albuera, Leyte, and Reynaldo Parojinog, the mayor of Ozamiz.

“I believe De la Rosa was involved in the dismissal of the cases that I built up against Espinosa, including the burying of the cases that I was building against his police protectors or coddlers who had been receiving money from the suspect,” Espenido told the panel.

Espenido also accused Go of using intelligence funds and money from Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) to fuel the drug war’s quota and reward system.

“Even intelligence funds were used in the drug war. POGO money was also used,” Espenido stated in his affidavit.

LGUs awarded cash for arrests of big-time drug pushers

According to Espenido, some municipal governments also granted P100,000 for the successful apprehension of major drug dealers. In the drug war, “bagmen,” who were frequently noncommissioned police personnel, were also paid P20,000 for each kill and operated under the “beck and call of regional and provincial directors.”

The Police Colonel also explained that the quota system required them to knock on the doors of 50 to 100 homes per day that they suspected of being drug users or pushers.

Espenido admitted there were human rights violations during the drug war.

“Masabi ko, Your Honors, na marami ang nasiyahan. Because sa akin naman, hinanap na ’yong source ng drugs. But then, very sad to say na ang nangyari, ’yong mga biktima lang ang napatay, ’yong mga pusher, user,” Espenido told the panel.

“Para sa akin, mga biktima sila, gusto ko sana silang bigyan ng second chance,” he added.

The number of drug suspects who were killed or apprehended was counted as an “accomplishment” in the war on drugs. As of March 2022, the official government data of deaths during Duterte’s deadly six-year campaign was over 6,000, but human rights advocates believe the figure might be as high as 30,000.

📷 Screenshot from House of Representatives FB