MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Sen. Bong Go鈥檚 aide Irmina Espino otherwise known as 鈥淢uking鈥� denied on Monday her supposed role as the 鈥渄isbursing officer鈥� in the financial operations related to former President Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 drug war.
At the Senate blue ribbon subcommitte鈥檚 probe into Duterte鈥檚 bloody drug war, Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel, who was presiding over the hearing, asked Espino whether or not there鈥檚 a truth that she鈥檚 handing out incentives to rogue police officers for extrajudicial killings.
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鈥淒id I hear it right? To the point that you are handing out money. It鈥檚 true, but what context??鈥� asked Pimentel.
At the lower chamber, retired police colonel Royina Garma said Go allegedly coordinated with National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo in setting up a system to give police officers cash incentives for every drug suspect in the drug list killed.
She said Go is being helped by Espino.
For her part, Espino clarified her role in Duterte鈥檚 drug campaign.
鈥淎ctually, what the former president said was not that elaborate. I mentioned earlier that I am not the disbursing officer, so the support he is saying is office supplies, office equipment, and that gasoline that we give to the precinct commanders in every precinct in Davao City,鈥� she said.
鈥淣o cash. Whart we have is a gas slip. These are what the police in change received from our designated personnel, and not directly from me,鈥� she emphasized.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency listed 6,252 dead in anti-drug police operations from July 1, 2016, to May 31, 2022.
A 2017 year-end report attributed to the Office of the President, however, listed more than 20,000 dead in the first 17 months alone of the Duterte administration.