An active controversial officer of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday bared he knows about the bloody drug war of the Duterte administration, confirming the existence of a reward system for police drug kills and alleging that funding came from intelligence funds and POGO money “funneled downward from the level” of Sen. Bong Go, a press release from the House of Representatives said.
Colonel Jovie Espenido, who has been a police officer for 28 years, recounted his experiences as the Chief of Police of the town of Albuera in Leyte and Ozamiz City in Misamis Occidental in a seven-page written affidavit submitted to the Quad Committee investigating POGOs, illegal drug syndicates and extrajudicial killings (EJKs).
“Even intelligence funds were used in the drug war. POGO money was also used. After these POGOs were able to register with the government, funding was funneled downward from the level of Bong Go,” he said in his affidavit.
One of the biggest revelations of Espenido is the existence of a quota and reward system for police officers who made drug kills, explaining it in his affidavit.
“I confirm that there was a quota and reward system in the implementation of the war on drugs during the previous administration. I truly wanted to implement it without causing deaths. When the leadership imposed a quota of 50-100 per day, we only took it to mean that we had to knock on the doors of 50-100 households suspected of drug use or pushing,” Espenido bared.
“I know that there was a reward of 20,000 pesos per kill in the drug war. The funding came from operators of Small Town Lottery (STL), or jueteng lords who give money to the police regional commanders, provincial commanders, down the line. The group or individuals who make the kill receive the money,” he added.
“The STL money is remitted directly to the RD or PD. The same goes for the so-called vigilantes. The flow of money was automatic.”
Although as a police officer, Espenido said his mission was the surrender of drug suspects so that they could be rehabilitated.
“Nobody died during my stints in Albuera and Bacolod. I also made sure that the rewards my stations received are legitimate. For example, some LGUs would award 100,000 pesos for successful arrests involving big-time drug pushers. We accepted these to fund further operations,” he said.
As for the payment of these rewards, Espenido said there were “bagmen” who delivered the money to high-ranking police officers.
“I personally know some of the bagmen. Many PNCO (non-commissioned officers) who were my classmates were murdered. They were bagmen acting at the beck and call of regional and provincial directors,” Espenido said.
“When Duterte became president these RDs and PDs pointed to their own bagmen when asked about police personnel involved in the illegal drug trade. In Cebu, a barangay captain was killed by an ex-army personnel who pretended to be a vigilante. This was established by CCTV,” he added.
Espenido said that some of these “bagmen” are still alive and that he can talk to them to testify in the Quad Comm probe.
“Some of these bagmen are still alive and I can talk to them to convince them to also testify about what they know, quite a few are in hiding. I also know an intelligence officer who can disclose details of the drug war,” Espenido said.
In fact, this intelligence officer he was referring to can talk about his knowledge of how intelligence funds and POGO money were used in the bloody drug war of Duterte that killed thousands of Filipinos.
“The intelligence officer I mentioned can discuss this further. Those at the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG) are also conversant about the funding. They can help identify the police personnel who actually received money in exchange for kills in the course of the drug war,” Espenido said.
Espenido earlier testified before the probe on EJKs of the House Committee on Human Rights chaired by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante.
“I was not able to tell these things in the previous hearings held by the House of Representatives. All I was able to say is that there was violation of human rights in the implementation of the drug war,” he said in his affidavit.*
