Espenido: Go, Bato told me MisOcc mayor was off Duterte narco-list

Police Colonel Jovie Espenido on Monday stood by his earlier testimony that then-Philippine National Police Chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and then-Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go called him to remove the name of a Misamis Occidental mayor from then-President Rodrigo Duterte's "narco-list."

Clarin, Misamis Occidental Mayor David Navarro was one of several local officials that Duterte accused of being in the illegal drug trade, whose names he read from a list in August 2016.

On October 24, 2019, Navarro was arrested in Cebu City for allegedly attacking a massage therapist. The next day, he was shot dead by several gunmen despite being in the middle of a police convoy on its way to the City Prosecutor's office.

On Day 1 of the Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee probe's into the Duterte administration's drug war, Dela Rosa, now a senator, called out Espenido for supposedly saying—in the affidavit he submitted to the House Quad Committee—that he and Go called Espenido simultaneously in an effort to remove Navarro's name from the list.

“Hindi naman [kayo] sabay, Your Honor, Mr. Chair. Sa totoo lang, tumawag ka [Dela Rosa] sa akin. Una [na tumawag] si Sir Bong [Go], nagsabi na huwag mo nang galawin si Mayor Navarro kasi wala na siya, cleared na siya,” Espenido replied.

(You did not call simultaneously. The truth is, you [Senator dela Rosa] called me. Sir Bong Go called me ahead of you, and told me to keep hands off Navarro because he was cleared from the drug list.)

“Nagsasabi naman akong totoo, Your Honor, Mr. Chair,” Espenido added.

(I am telling the  truth.)

Dela Rosa then clarified that he was not saying that Espenido was lying, but that he could not recall having that phone call with Espenido.

“Hindi ko sinasabi na nagsinungaling ka. Ang motive lang, ang motive lang tinatanong ko,” Dela Rosa said.

(I am not saying you are lying. I am just asking about the motive.)

“I may not remember that instance na tumawag ako sa iyo. Kung ikaw, [you] vividly remembered,  hindi ko ma-remember,” dela Rosa said.

(I may not remember that instance of calling you. If you vividly remembered it, I do not remember.)

Likewise, Go questioned Espenido for saying that he called him to clear Navarro’s name from the drug list.

“Meron bang nagpahabol sa iyo na isingit yung pangalan ko? Yes or no lang naman,” Go said.

(Is there someone who told you to include my name?)

Espenido replied, “Wala naman, Your Honor. Mr. Chairman."

(There’s nobody, your honor.)

Go then pressed Espenido if he was sure, reminding him he was under oath.

Espenido answered, “Yes. I have also said that I have no personal knowledge about sa sinabi na ni late Mayor Navarro. I'm just only relating the message, the word [that] came from Mayor [Navarro]. Nag-explain siya [sa akin] na pinapupunta ako ni Sir Bong [Go] para ma-clear ang pangalan ko,” Espenido said.

(I am just relaying his message, he explained that he was sent by Sir Bong to clear his name.)

Espenido added that Navarro also asked him why he was supposedly the lone police chief in Misamis Occidental who refused to receive “monthly” off gambling money.

“Nagtanong siya bakit ako hindi ako magtanggap, alam mo naman iyon ang binigay ngayon. So iyon ang pag-usapan. Ang pakay niya, na ma-inform ako na pinahihintulutan naman, legal naman ‘yung sa gambling [money] na ibinigay sa mga pulis, through sa inyo, [sabi niya], ang sabi ni Sir Bong Go,” Espenido said.

(He was just after informing me that what the police are getting off gambling money is allowed, through Sir Bong Go.)

“Nag-relay lang ako sa napakinggan ko sa iyo at that time na gumawa ako ng affidavit,” Espenido added.

(I just relayed what I was told when I made my affidavit.)

Go, however, said Espenido’s statements should not be believed since Espenido himself said he has no personal knowledge of what Navarro said to him.

“Gusto ko lang maklaro. Purely hearsay yung sinasabi mo? Narinig mo lang? ” Go said.

(I want this to be clear. All you heard was hearsay? You just heard about it?)

To which Espenido said, "Yes. Mr. Chair."

In the same affidavit, Espenido said that the police were required to visit 50 to 100 households of suspected drug users and traffickers a day and were rewarded P100,000 for successful drug busts during the Duterte administration. — BM, GMA Integrated News