MANILA, Philippines — One of the former “poster boys” of the Duterte administration’s drug war said Wednesday that rewards for police officers who kill drug suspects come from Philippine offshore gambling operators (POGO) and state intelligence funds.
This came to light during the third Quadcom investigation of the House of Representatives, during which an active officer admitted for the first time that police officers benefited from the controversial reward and quota system under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In his seven-page affidavit, Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido claimed that the drug war offered a reward of P20,000 per kill, with the money allegedly funneled “from the Bong Go level down” and coming from POGOs, government intelligence funds, small-town lotteries and “jueteng lords.”
“I know that in the drug war there was a reward of 20,000 pesos per murder. The funding came from the operators of small town lotteries or from jueteng lords who passed the money on to the police commanders in the regions, provinces and further down,” Espenido said.
“The money goes to the group or individuals who commit the murder,” the police officer added.
Senator Bong Go said in a statement on Thursday that he categorically denies Espenido's allegations. He said he has never done business with or had ties to any POGO company and “never managed any funds related to the drug war.”
When they were given a quota of 50 to 100 per day, Espenido said, he and other police officers “just understood that to mean they had to knock on the doors of 50 to 100 homes where there was suspicion of drug use or trafficking.”
Espenido said he tried to ensure that the rewards his “senders” received were “legitimate.”
“Some [local government units] would pay out 100,000 pesos (about 12,000 euros) for successful arrests of drug dealers with major offenses. We have accepted this sum to finance further operations,” he said.
“I know some of these 'Bagmen' personally. Many of my classmates who were non-commissioned officers were killed. They were Bagmen acting at the behest of the regional and provincial directors,” he added.
Espenido acknowledged that police officers abused their power in implementing the government's campaign against illegal drugs, and ended his affidavit by confirming what human rights groups have been saying for years about Duterte's drug war:
“I could not say these things in the previous House hearings. All I could say was that there were human rights violations in the conduct of the drug war,” he said.
Espenido was previously touted as the former president's “poster boy” or “favorite” for the “cleansing” or liberation of the city of Albuera from illegal drugs.
But it was a different Espenido who entered Batasang Pambansa on Wednesday, ready to break away from his former superiors. He is currently serving as a flexible officer in the Philippine National Police (PNP) while awaiting his retirement.
“From my experience, I can say that the PNP is the biggest criminal group in this country,” he said.
The PNP criticized Espenido's characterization of the police in a statement Thursday, saying it admitted that few had been misled.
“We encourage anyone with credible information about misconduct in our ranks to come forward,” the PNP said. — Cristina Chi
