ALBUERA, LEYTE—Grief and sadness pervaded this town as their murdered mayor, Rolando Espinosa Sr., was buried at a Catholic cemetery on Sunday afternoon.
Close to 1,500 supporters of the 54-year-old mayor joined the funeral procession at noon after a Mass at Saint James Parish Church.
Espinosa was killed during an alleged shootout with the members of the regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Group on Nov. 5 at the Leyte subprovincial jail in Baybay City.
“He was really a good man and always ready to help us his people whenever we came to him for help,” said Veronica Alajas, 32.
She and other residents of Mahayag, the farthest barangay in Albuera more than 5 kilometers away, hired a vehicle to attend the procession.
Participants wore the blue T-shirt of the Espinosa campaign when he ran for mayor in May. Espinosa’s family wore white T-shirts bearing the words “Fight for Justice.”