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By LITO RULONA
and NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents

OFFICIALS in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental are divided on Camp Crame’s order to transfer former Albuera, Leyte police chief Jovie Espenido and 15 of his men here.

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Chief Insp. Espenido and his men are scheduled to report for work at Camp Alagar today.

In November, Espenido was named by self-confessed drug trader Kerwin Espinosa as among police officials involved in the drug trade. Espinosa subsequently backtracked, according to National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa.

Misamis Oriental Vice Gov. Jose Mari Pelaez and three Cagayan de Oro councilors expressed dismay over the Camp Crame order.

But there are also officials like Mayor Oscar Moreno who welcomed the transfer of Espenido’s group.

Pelaez, who chairs the provincial board’s police and public safety committee, said he was opposed to the transfer, and he would bring his position to the attention of Camp Alagar.

“They should not be assigned in Misamis Oriental or anywhere in Northern Mindanao. We will oppose it,” Pelaez said.

Cagayan de Oro councilors George Goking, Zaldy Ocon and Romeo Calizo also expressed worry.

“Unsa’y ilang pagtuo nato dinhi? Dumping ground,” said Ocon rhetorically.

Calizo, chair of the city council’s police committee, called on Camp Crame to review its order to transfer Espenido’s group here.

“Mamahimo kini nga delikado,” Calizo said.

Goking, for his part, said that in a highly urbanized city like Cagayan de Oro, local officials should have been consulted first by police officials.

“We need to have policemen with credentials and credibility… We are not a dumping ground for PNP personnel with problems,” Goking said.

He said he would ask the city council to pass a resolution to request Police Director General dela Rosa to reconsider the transfer order.

Goking said the controversial police group should have been ordered to report to Camp Crame.

Lawyer Ramon Tabor, a former councilor, said the Camp Crame order was puzzling to him.

Tabor said Mindanao “doesn’t deserve to be  repository of undesirables.”

He said, “They should be retrained in Camp Crame or any PNP training center.”

But Mayor Moreno said he welcomed the assignment of Espenido and his group here. He said he respects the decision of Camp Crame.

Moreno said it was possible that Espenido and his men were moved from Albuera to northern Mindanao because of the tension in the Leyte town.

Espenido and his men were the ones who arrested Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa. The mayor was subsequently shot and killed while in a prison facility by another group from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

“Gilikay lang siguro kay basin ma-init didto sa Albuera. Pero dili sab ko  mo-ingon  nga ayaw dinhi, kay ang dating nato diha,  nga  dili kita  preparado motabang sa uban,” said Moreno.

He said it wouldn’t be fair to judge Espenido and his group simply because they served in the Albuera police.

“Let us not pre-judge anyone. I’m not in the position to make any  pre-judgment. Mao na nga para sa ako, decision kana sa  PNP.  I respect that,” he said.

Villanueva Mayor Jenni Rosalie Uy, the president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines in Misamis Oriental, shares Moreno’s views. She said the decision of the National Police and the interior department should be respected.

“Dili nato husgahan ang usa ka situation nga wala pa kita nakabalo kon unsay outcome,” said Uy.

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