PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s reinstatement of a police officer accused of rubbing out a town mayor inside a Leyte provincial jail last year drew an angry response from lawmakers Thursday, including administration ally Senator Panfilo Lacson.
“There is one phrase to describe this whole damn thing,” Lacson, a former police chief, said. “P—–ina! [Son of a bitch!]”
“It is not even a reinstatement,” he said, one day after Duterte and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa ordered Supt. Marvin Marcos back to active duty, despite homicide charges filed against him for the killing of former Albuera mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. last year.
“Rather, it was a back-to-duty status after serving his four-month suspension order incorporated in a slap-on-the-wrist administrative penalty,” Lacson told GMA News Online.
“According to the decision, Marcos was not physically present when the raiding team killed Espinosa and Raul Yap, but outside supervising the operation. The others were given demotions and a six-month suspension. This effectively disregarded the conspiracy angle,” he said.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV slammed Duterte.
“Duterte not only set the murderers free, he now gave back their badges and guns so they could murder again with impunity. Why? Because Duterte fears that these policemen might rant out on him for what they know about his involvement in the Espinosa murder,” said Trillanes.
Duterte said earlier he wants Marcos reinstated despite the criminal charges he is facing. He also reiterated that he will pardon Marcos, if he is convicted.
The Justice department has downgraded the charge against the accused police officials from murder to homicide.
The 11 members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group led by Marcos were orginally charged with murder for killing Espinosa and fellow inmate Raul Yap inside the Leyte sub-provincial jail in Baybay City on Nov. 5, 2016.
The other accused are Senior Insp. Deogracia Pedong Diaz III, Chief Insp. Calixto Canillas Jr., Inspector Lucresito Candelosas, Senior Police Officers 2 Benjamin Dacallos and Antonio Docil, Senior Police Officer 1 Mark Christian Cadilo, Police Office 3 Norman Abellanosa, Police Officers 2 John Ruel Doculan and Jaime Bacsal, and Police Officer 1 Jerlan Cabiyaan.
Four other police officers were charged for the murder of Espinosa —Supt. Santi Noel Matira, Chief Inspector Leo Daio Laraga, Senior Police Officer 4 Melvin Caboyit and Police Officer 3 Johnny Abuda Ibanez—while four others for murder of Yap—Senior Inspector Fritz Bioco Blanco, Senior Police Officer 4 Juanito Duarte, Police Officer 2 Lloyd Ortiguesa and Police Officer 1 Bernard Orpilla.
Abellanosa, Laraga and witness Paul Olendan were also indicted for two counts of maliciously obtaining search warrants.
Trillanes noted that it was Duterte who had Marcos and company reassigned to CIDG Region 8, and that he overruled Dela Rosa when he relieved the police superintendent who was implicated in the illegal drug trade by Espinosa.
“Then just a few weeks after, Espinosa ended up getting murdered by Marcos’ group,” said Trillanes.
Senator Risa Hontiveros also criticized the administration, saying the move was outright obstruction of justice from the highest level of governance and executive promotion of extrajudicial killings.
“For those who still deny that there are state-sanctioned killings, here is damning proof,” she said.
Hontiveros reminded President Duterte that the Senate, including his allies, unanimously recommended the filing of murder charges against the policemen led by Marcos.
“The Senate and even the National Bureau of Investigation concluded that the death of Espinosa is a case of extrajudicial killing. How can President Duterte dismiss those findings? For the President to order the reinstatement of Marcos absolves him and his men of any wrongdoing,” she said.
The senator also rued Dela Rosa’s support for the reinstatement order. Dela Rosa said that “it would be a waste anyway” not to let Marcos work since he was getting paid.
“I expect better thinking from the PNP chief. We let a murderer have a free pass and go back to the uniformed service because his suspension is a waste of money? Let me remind my mistah and old friend, the PNP chief, that the real criminal waste of taxpayers’ money are bad cops and injustices,” Hontiveros said.
“It is quite disturbing considering that the NBI and the Senate findings point to murder. We hope the members of the Senate majority who signed the committee report will close ranks and fulfill its duty to act as a check and balance on the executive branch,” added another opposition senator, Francis Pangilinan.
Trilannes, Hontiveros and Pangilinan belong to the opposition bloc in the Senate and all members of the Liberal Party, the political party of former President Benigno Aquino III.
Four months ago, the lawmen involved in the killing of Espinosa appealed to the Justice department to review the criminal case filed against them. They filed a petition for review before the office of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II seeking the dismissal of the murder charges against them.
The policemen asked Aguirre to reverse the resolution of the prosecutors who found probable cause in the charges and approved the filing of the murder case before the Baybay City, Leyte regional trial court.
They claimed there was intention to kill Espinosa and Yap, and said they only defended themselves from the two inmates inside the Baybay City sub-provincial jail who first fired shots at them while they were serving search warrants.
Before his death in a supposed shootout with lawmen inside his jail, Espinosa Sr. said in a TV interview that a senator, a congressman and police officials were on his list of those with links to the drug trade, but refused to name them.
Espinosa also implicated Marcos in the drug trade.
The Palace defended Duterte’s move, saying Marcos had served his suspension and is eligible to be back on duty.
“The President respects and abides by the rule of law,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said. With John Paolo Bencito
