The senators who conducted a hearing on the killing of the late Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa have assailed the downgrading of charges against the accused policemen.
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, chairman of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, which investigated the Espinosa killing, said he will stand by their committee’s recommendation as unanimously adopted by the Senate.
“I will do so, not based on politics, friendship or anything related to it but solely on truth and justice,” Lacson said in a text message.
Last March, Lacson’s committee recommended the filing of murder charges against the policemen, led by Supt. Marvin Marcos. The committee ruled that the policemen murdered Espinosa inside a jail in Baybay, Leyte.
The National Bureau of Investigation also reached the same findings saying that the Espinosa killing was a rubout and not a shootout.
In a text message, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon branded the downgrading of the policemen involved in the killing as “disappointing.”
Senator Francis Pangilinan, meanwhile, said the findings of the Department of Justice should be appealed because the killing was a clear case of murder.
“This is the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Senate,” said Pangilinan, also Liberal Party president.
Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros, on the other hand, branded DoJ Secretary Vitalliano Aguirre as “flip-flop king.” She recalled that prior to the downgrading of charges against the accused policemen, Aguirre issued a resolution on March 2017 supporting the findings of both the Senate and NBI that the Espinosa killing was a clear case of premeditated murder.
“This is an obvious attempt at a cover up through an unabashed flip-flop. It is an act of impunity to cover up another act of impunity,” Hontiveros said.
The Senator said that by downgrading the charges against the accused in the Espinosa killing, Aguirre also effectively further downgraded his reputation and integrity before the public’s eyes.
“From being the fake news king of Padre Faura, Secretary Aguirre is also now immortalized as the DoJ’s flip-flop king, a would be absolver of murderers,” Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros said that she will ask the Senate to invite Aguirre to explain his department’s decision to downgrade the charges of the accused.
“This may be the last straw for many of us. We cannot allow Secretary Aguirre to continue to toy around with our justice system. Enough’s enough,” Hontiveros said