Duterte urged to create independent body to probe Espinosa slay

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and President Rodrigo Duterte FILE PHOTOS

The “legitimate” minority bloc in the House of Representatives on Tuesday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to create an independent commission to investigate the killing of Albuera mayor Rolando Espinosa and other cases of extrajudicial killings at the height of the administration’s war on drugs.

In a press briefing by the seven-member minority bloc aptly called the “Magnificent 7” on Tuesday, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the President should create an independent commission like the Agrava commission that investigated the assassination of then opposition senator Ninoy Aquino during the Marcos regime, the Melo commission that investigated the spate of human rights violations during the Arroyo administration, and the Feliciano commission that probed the Oakwood mutiny.

The Liberal Party lawmaker said this commission should be headed by a retired jurist who had served at the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals.

“We have called for the creation by the President of an independent commission to investigate the recent killing and all other related killings with respect to the unabated culture of violence and death related to the extrajudicial killings,” Lagman said.

“The President should do it in order to show that he really cares for the respect for the judicial process, rule of law and human rights,” he added.

Lagman said the investigating team should be an independent commission, not a committee in Congress which would be subjected to political bickering and partisanship.

“I don’t think the task of making an investigation should be discharged by a congressional or Senate committee, because the independence and impartiality of the members of a Congressional or Senate committee would be compromised and even imperiled by political accommodation and bickering political agenda,” he said.

On Nov. 5, Mayor Espinosa was slain by a raiding team of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region VIII in what the police claimed to be a shoot-out, even though Espinosa and Yap were in detention at the sub-provincial jail in Baybay city.

READ: Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa killed in ‘firefight’ inside jail 

The CIDG barged into the jail to serve a search warrant over suspicions the two were holding shabu and firearms inside the cells.

The CIDG alleged that Espinosa shot the police, prompting them to fire back, fatally hitting the mayor in the head, chest and stomach.

The raiding team recovered a .38-pistol and a pack of shabu from the cell of Espinosa, and a .45-pistol, 27 packs of marijuana and 21 sachets of shabu from Yap.

The CIDG also took the hard drive that contained a CCTV video of the incident.

The police are set to investigate the incident which former police chief Senator Panfilo Lacson believed is a clear case of extrajudicial killing.

READ: Espinosa slay clear case of extra-judicial killing–Lacson

Espinosa was slain as he was expected to name more personalities involved in the illegal drug trade of his son Kerwin, who is said to be the biggest drug trader in Eastern Visayas region. Kerwin was arrested in Abu Dhabi after fleeing the charges.

Espinosa surrendered to authorities after he was named by President Rodrigo Duterte as among the local chief executives allegedly involved in the drug trade. JE/rga

READ: Leyte mayor’s tearful plea to son: Let’s surrender 

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