IT is understandable that the men and women of the Philippine National Police (PNP) take offense at their colleague's comment that the PNP is the country's biggest crime group. However, the PNP should not take it against those of us who somewhat agree with the point made by LtCol. Jovie Espenido in his testimony at the third joint public hearing of the House quad committee. It cannot be denied that too many policemen are involved, directly or indirectly, in unlawful activities. Remember the old joke about cops in the Philippines being at the crime scene even before the crime is committed? Such a cruel joke didn't come out of nowhere. Just take last month's pawnshop robberies in Cebu City. The getaway vehicle turned out to be owned by a policeman.
Espenido also testified about proceeds from STL being used to fund the war-on-drugs reward system. What was of particular interest to some of us here in Cebu was Espenido's naming the late Mayor David Navarro as the source of the information. Navarro was the mayor of Clarin, Misamis Occidental, when on Oct. 25, 2019, he was liquidated in probably the most brazen extrajudicial killing committed in Cebu City during the Duterte administration. Navarro was inside a police vehicle, flanked by policemen. He was under arrest and was taken to the prosecutor's office around 2 p.m. A van blocked the police vehicle on M. Velez Street, one of Cebu City's major thoroughfares. Some 10 men armed with high-powered firearms alighted from the van. Two of them dragged Navarro from the police vehicle and executed him. Five other persons, including Clarin's chief of police, were wounded.
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