Palace says Duterte not targeting Mabilog in Espenido’s Iloilo assignment

President Rodrigo Duterte is not picking on Iloilo City Jed Mabilog in reassigning Ozamiz City police Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido to his bailiwick.

“I don’t think there’s any need to—to single out Mabilog in that sense, but it is simply part of the President’s overall campaign against illegal drugs,” Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a briefing in Malacañang.

He said Espenido is going to be part of a whole government approach on the war on drugs.

Abella also said there was no specific reason why Duterte reassigned Espenido to Iloilo.

“He has his own reasons, he has his own sources of intelligence and he also has his own plan of action,” he said.

After announcing that Espenido would be reassigned to Iloilo, Duterte told Mabilog to end his drug links.

He said Mabilog’s name kept on appearing on his drug list, even in the updated versions.

Mabilog had denied the allegations.

In a statement, the Iloilo City Mayor said he finds it “very unfortunate and disconcerting” that his name was included in the list of more than 150 personalities publicly disclosed by Duterte.

Espenido was the police chief when Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa was arrested in connection with the drug trade in October 2016. Espinosa was killed while in detention in November in a drug-related police operation.

Espenido was also the city chief of police when Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog was killed in a drug raid at the Parojinog compound earlier this month, along with 15 other members of his family and security personnel. — BAP, GMA News