BAYBAY CITY, Leyte—The 19 police officers allegedly behind the murder of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. will temporarily be jailed at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group detention center as the local jail is overcrowded.
Baybay City Regional Trial Court Branch 14 Presiding Judge Carlos Arguelles granted the plea of former CIDG Region 8 head Supt. Marvin Marcos and 18 other CIDG operatives to stay at the CIDG regional office lock-up cell.
During the presentation of the suspects to the court on Tuesday morning here, Arguelles cited a Supreme Court directive disallowing regional courts to issue commitment orders in crowded jail facilities.
Baybay City Jail Warden Lourdes Noveda testified in court that the Baybay sub-provincial jail managed by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology has more than 70 inmates, or 300 percent higher than its actual capacity of 24.
“Usually, the sub-provincial jail only detains suspects for crimes committed in the towns of Mahaplag and Albuera,” Noveda added.
Arguelles assured that there will be no special treatment for the former top CIDG official and the 18 other operatives.
“Their detention at the CIDG lock-up cell is only temporary and they may be transferred to the BJMP jail In Baybay anytime as ordered by court,” the judge said.
Heavily guarded by policemen, Marcos and his companions arrived at the Regional Trial Court Branch 14 before 9 a.m. aboard rented vans. They left the court after an hour.
On Monday morning, Marcos surrendered at the CIDG-8 office in this city with the 18 other CIDG operatives.
They surrendered after Arguelles issued the arrest warrants on Friday for their involvement in the pre-dawn raid in the cells of Espinosa and another inmate, Raul Yap, at the Baybay sub-provincial jail. Espinosa was killed in the raid.
Espinosa, the father of detained big-time drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, was named by President Rodrigo Duterte as one of the country’s local chief executives with drug links.
Aside from Marcos, also named in the arrest warrants were Supt. Santi Noel Matira, Chief Insp. Leo Larraga, Senior Insp. Fritz Blanco, Senior Insp. Doegracias Diaz, Insp. Lucredito Candilosas, SPO4 Melvin Cayubit, PO3 Johnny Ibañez, SPO4 Juanito Duarte, PO1 Lloyd Ortigueza, PO1 Bhernard Orpilla, SPO2 Benjamin Dacallos, PO3 Norman Abellanosa, PO1 Jerlans Cabiyaan, PO1 Clixto Canillas Jr., SPO1 Mark Christian Cadilo, PO2 John Ruel Doculan and PO2 Jaime Dacsal.
Both the National Bureau of Investigation and the Senate found that they allegedly plotted the mayor’s death.