President Duterte on Friday made it clear that he ordered to reinstate Superintendent Marvin Marcos as chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in region 8.
“Huwag kayong maniwala na si Bong (Go) ang tumawag,” the President said when he graced the graduation ceremony of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) motorcycle riding course at the Felis Resort Complex in Matina Aplaya, Davao City.
Supt. Marcos was initially placed under restrictive custody due to his alleged links to illegal drug trade in the region.
He was also tagged into illegal drug trade by confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, son of slain Mayor Rolando Espinosa of Albuera, Leyte who was killed while under detention in Leyte provincial jail.
The President said the purpose of making Marcos stay in his post is to allow investigations on his connections to illegal drugs prosper to move on.
“Sabi ko as is siya dyan. Huwag mong galawin kasi gusto kong tingan,” the President pointed out.
He added that relieving Marcos from his post will damage the on-going probe as investigators will loss track on him.
“Mapuputol yong pag-build up ng kaso. We were really building the case. Remove him there … everything will be lost. I cannot follow him,” President Duterte said.
He clarified that it was him who ordered Go to call PNP chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa to reinstate Marcos in order for the investigation to continue and prosper.
“Do not remove the guy. I am doing an investigation,” the President stressed.
He also exonerated former Eastern Visayas regional police director Chief Superintendent Asher Dolina of connections to illegal drug trade.
“Si Dolina malinis. Si Marcos ang may tama,” he clarified.
Senator Leila De Lima earlier named Go as the person referred to by Dela Rosa who called him for the reinstatement of Marcos.
The senator said her information came from a source inside the PNP. Dela Rosa, in turn, dared De Lima to name his source from the PNP but the senator refused.
On Thursday, Go denied the allegations of De Lima, dismissing the same as unfounded and baseless.
Go said he is does not know personally Marcos and he is not messing with the affairs of the PNP.
Speaking to journalists in Davao City, Duterte said he simply ordered Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go to call Dela Rosa and he himself ordered the PNP chief to reinstate Marcos so he could pursue an investigation.
“I ordered Bong to call [Dela Rosa]… I told (Dela Rosa), do not remove the guy (Marcos because). I am doing an investigation,” Duterte said.
Duterte said he wanted Marcos back in his post as regional chief of the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group because he needed to gather evidence against the police official.
“Because I [can] keep track of his movements. Remove him there [and] everything will be lost. I will lose everything. I cannot follow him,” the President said.
Marcos was recently relieved after being linked by Eastern Visayas top druglord Kerwin Espinosa to the illegal drug trade in the region.
Duterte made the revelation the day after Senator Leila de Lima claimed that a source told her that it was Go who asked Dela Rosa to reinstate Marcos.
But Communications Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Banaag later said De Lima was misinforming the public to divert attention from her connection to the illegal drug trade and her illicit affair with her lover-driver Ronnie Dayan.
She said De Lima was resorting to “squid tactics” to create distrust of the Duterte administration.
“These are meant to create division and spread suspicion against the administration,” Banaag said.
