President Rodrigo Duterte says he believes the version of the police involved in the killing of Albuera town mayor Rolando Espinosa. He also reiterated his stand that he will protect the police as they carry out operations related to the anti-drugs campaign which he ordered. (Paulo C. Rizal/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY — President Rodrigo Duterte said he believes in the version of the police officers involved in the killing of Albuera town mayor Rolando Espinosa.
In a press conference here
at dawn Friday, Duterte said if the Senators have evidence on the involvement of police authorities who allegedly served search warrants to the already detained town mayor, then a case should be filed against the police.During the Senate hearing conducted on Thursday, Senator Panfilo Lacson, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, described Espinosa’s killing as “premeditated”.
This after Senators learned that the officers of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Eastern Visayas requested for scene of the crime operatives prior to serving a search warrant against Espinosa and fellow inmate Raul Yap who was also killed during the operation.
Duterte reiterated that the country is already in narcopolitics state and that it is his duty to protect the next generation from the drug problem.
He also told police officials not to be afraid because he was the one who ordered to carry out the war against drugs.
“The fight against drugs is mine. It was not somebody else’s order. I pushed the police to the limits. And as a matter of fact, if anybody should go to prison, I should be the one because I ordered it,” Duterte said.
He also dared critics to blame him if they “ran out of people to blame.”
“Do not focus on the police, just wait for their explanation. Just wait for their version. In the meantime, if you ran out of people to blame, look at me because I was the one who ordered the war against drugs,” he said. (davaotoday.com)
