Senate decries delay in filing case against Espinosa killers

First preliminary investigation on the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and fellow inmate Raul Yap filed by the National Bureau of Investigation

The Senate has decried the delay in the government’s filing of criminal and administrative cases against Leyte policemen found to have killed Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. so as to cover up their links in the illegal drug trade.

This after the Senate finally adopted Wednesday night the committee report of the joint committees of public order and dangerous drugs and justice and human rights on the Nov. 5, 2016 killing of Mayor Espinosa.

Committee report no.46 was adopted on the last session day of Congress which is now on a break until May 1.

Sotto said on Thursday that the recommendations of the Senate report will now be forwarded to the agencies concerned, and this included the Department of Justice and the Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service.

In the original committee report, the two committees chaired by Senators Panfilo Lacson and Richard Gordon called the attention of the DOJ and the PNP-IAS for the delay in the filing of cases against Supt. Marvin Marcos and his men from the Criminal Investigative and Detection Group-Region 8.

The DOJ has yet to issue a resolution on the multiple murder complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation against Marcos and his men, while the PNP-IAS has no resolution yet on whether administrative cases will be filed on these police officers.

On Wednesday night, Lacson accepted an amendment to the wording of the committee report where now the Senate “decries the delay” in the filing of the cases against Marcos and his men.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon had proposed during the interpellations on the report that it include a Senate condemnation of the delay of the filing of cases given that it had been two months that these agencies had been investigating the case against Marcos and his men. At that time, Lacson was hesitant on the proposed because he said they should give the two agencies the chance to issue their respective resolutions.

On Thursday, Lacson said he has no information yet of when the DOJ and PNP-IAS would issue their resolutions.

Lacson had earlier said the challenge was for both agencies to do their tasks, especially after President Duterte early this week said he will stand by the version of the police in the killing of Mayor Espinosa.

In the committee report, the two committees had cautioned the President in micromanaging the police after they noted that his decision to rescind a relief order on Marcos and his men later resulted in them killing Mayor Espinosa in cold blood.