“Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect.” –Steven Wright

Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) cannot blame the family and constituents of Barangay Monica-Blumentritt Captain Keith ‘Dabing’ Espinosa III of Iloilo City’s City Proper district and her husband, Jesus ‘Jing-Jing’ Espinosa, Jr., if law enforcement is blamed should something bad happen to the couple.

PRO-6 director, Police Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, already announced he would never meet with the barangay official while her name still appears on a list of suspected drug lords. Dabing, who is reportedly in hiding, sought the assistance of the police official to clear her name, however, based on media reports, he replied, “I have no time for her.”

Understandable; a “Dirty Harry” film explicitly proclaimed: Authorities are not supposed to compromise with the underworld.

He also claimed the barangay captain’s husband, who is currently detained at the Iloilo Provincial Jail, continues to engage in illegal drugs and is using family members, including his wife, as fronts. Such comments are a palpable sign police may be (wittingly or unwittingly) trying to condition the minds of the public, suggesting the Espinosa couple is incorrigible.

Analyzing the critical pronouncements by the highest-ranking police official in the Western Visayas, it is a disturbing indication of things to come – God forbid.

Friends and family should start praying for the couple.

If police have evidence to prove Jing-Jing and Dabing are involved with illegal drugs, charges should be filed immediately; if there are pending cases, let the litigation proceed – that’s how the justice system works, let the truth come out in trial.

The couple should be subject to an endless trial by publicity and should not be convicted through allegations, tough words, and public rebuke. Even if they are considered “soldiers of the darkness,” they still have a right to argue their case in court – they are innocent until proven guilty.

Efforts must be pursued to ensure their protection before being tried in court./WDJ