Prime suspects in Albuera mayor murder released on bail

Supt. Marvin Marcos (right) and one of his coaccused in the murder of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. arrive at the court that issued arrest warrants for them. —ROBERT DEJON/FILE PHOTO

TACLOBAN CITY – After more than two months in jail, the prime suspects in the killing of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. are out on bail.

Judge Carlos Arguelles, presiding judge of Regional Trial Court-Branch 14 in Baybay City, Leyte, signed on Friday the release order of Supt. Marvin Marcos, the former chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) region 8 and his 18 co-accused.

Marcos, who led the dawn raid that killed the Albuera mayor inside his detention cell at the Leyte sub-provincial jail in Baybay City on November 5, 2016,  was among the principal suspects in the killing.  Espinosa Sr. was the father of alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.

The Department of Justice, however, earlier downgraded the original charge of murder against Marcos and his co-accused to homicide after the latter filed a motion to review the case. The court set their bail at P40,000 each for two counts of homicide.

Barely an hour after Arguelles signed the release order around 4 p.m., Marcos and his co-accused were out of jail, said Supt. Zacarias Noel Villegas, regional director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on Saturday.

“Upon receiving the (court) order, we immediately processed them for their release,” Villegas said. “At past 5 pm, they were out of detention with their respective families and loved ones picking them up.”

The group of Marcos was also accused of killing another detainee, Raul Yap. Villegas, during the November 5 dawn raid last year.

Villegas said Marcos and his co-accused, some of them have grown beard while in detention though they appeared to be in good health, seemed relieved to be out of jail.

Aside from Marcos,  those who were released on bail included Sr. Insp. Deogracia Pedong Diaz III, Chief Insp. Calixto Canillas Jr., Insp. Lucresito Candelosas, Senior Police Officers (SPO) 2 Benjamin Dacallos and Antonio Docil,  SPO 1 Mark Christian Cadilo, Police Office (PO) 3 Norman Abellanosa, POs 2 John Ruel Doculan and Jaime Bacsal, and PO1 Jerlan Cabiyaan,  Supt. Santi Noel Matira, Chief Insp. Leo Daio Laraga,  SPO4 Melvin Caboyit and PO3 Johnny Abuda Ibanez – and four others for the murder of Yap – Sr. Insp. Fritz Bioco Blanco, SPO4 Juanito Duarte, PO2 Lloyd Ortiguesa and PO1 Bernard Orpilla.

They were detained at the CIDG detention facility since March 20 until their release.  GAL