By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Police Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido, head of the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU), warned drug personalities to cooperate with the police and surface or they will be hunted down before the end of January.
Espenido met the members of the media in a press briefing at the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) headquarters yesterday, following his vacation leave abroad for almost two months.
He urged drug personalities to meet him and identify their protectors so they can shift their focus on the latter.
“Bigyan nating ng pagkakataon pumunta dito para kausapin ko ng harapan. Hindi matatapos kung magtagu-an lang,” Espenido said.
He stressed that the continuous monitoring and validation by police against some personalities can help them identify their protectors.
“Sa atin naman, hindi ako maka-pinpoint kasi tao lang tayo, we will only base on what information we can get from suspected persons and arrested persons,” he said.
He assured that if these personalities will surface, they will be safe and no charges will be filed against them if they will cooperate with the authorities.
Espenido said the public should not harbor negative thoughts as he assured that they will still follow the rule of law.
But if somebody goads to a fight, that’s the time they will be forced to defend themselves as provided by their rules of engagement.
He said that big anti-illegal drug operations can be expected next month, but he emphasized that it will not be bloody as what the public is thinking.
“Hindi naman bloody na ganun. Panginoon pa rin naman ang nakakaalam,” he added.
But if drug personalities refuse to cooperate by February, Espenido said he will run after them.
“Wala ng usap-usap, we will go against them next month, kasi napagbigyan na kayo. Wala naming mali pag government ang magsabi, asahan niyo na we will also do it legally,” he said.
But he said he is not aiming for a bloody drug war.
“Huwag naman sana, walang patay ba. Ang bloody hindi naman galing sa police. Walang patay pero huwag lang sana magdala ng baril para makapagbigay tayo ng kapayapaan,” he added.
Espenido became controversial as suspected drug lords in his previous assignments such as Albuera, Leyte and Ozamiz City in Mindanao were killed in police operations.
He was almost assigned in Iloilo City, too, but it was scuttled after suspected drug lord Richard Prevendido was allegedly killed in a purported police operation in Jaro district in September 2018.
