President Rodrigo Duterte believes the police version of the events leading to the killing of Albuera Mayor Ronaldo Espinosa in jail, which senators suspect to have been premeditated.

“Let me state my case as the chief executive of the executive branch: I believe in the version of the police,” Duterte said in a news briefing he gave shortly after arriving from his trips to Thailand and Malaysia.

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But he added: “If they have evidence to prove otherwise, then a case should be filed against the police.”

He repeated a statement he made in the first few days of in his term that he would protect the police in the drive against illegal drugs.

He said that the Philippines had become a narcopolitic state and he would do everything in his power to remedy the situation and protect the next generation.

“Walang dapat ikatakot ang mga pulis,” he said. “Suportado ko sila. Kung sabihin nila bakit si Duterte sinusuportahan ang pulis, natural, utos ko yun (The police have nothing to be afraid of. If they ask why Duterte is supporting the police, that’s natural, because they are carrying out my orders).”

Espinosa, who had been linked to the illegal drug trade and had executed an affidavit implicating top government officials, was shot dead in his cell at the for allegedly shooting at police police officer who were serving him a search warrant.

The police version of events came under scrutiny at a Senate hearing that started on Thursday, with lawmakers finding out that the operatives who came to see Espinosa had called for forensic investigators from the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) even before the police officer could enter the jail and serve the warrant. /atm

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