Aguirre orders NBI probe on Espinosa killing
JUSTICE SECRETARY Vitaliano N. Aguirre II has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a “parallel” investigation on the killing of Albuera, Leyte, Mayor Rolando R. Espinosa, Sr.
In a text message, Justice Undersecretary Erickson H. Balmes said to reporters: “SoJ (Mr. Aguirre) orders NBI to conduct a parallel probe on the Espinosa slay to avoid any suspicion of whitewash.”
Philippine National Police ( PNP) chief Director- General Ronald M. dela Rosa had earlier ordered an investigation on Mr. Espinosa’s killing in the hands of police officers serving a search warrant at the Baybay City jail where Mr. Espinosa, the mayor of neighboring Albuera town, had been detained on drug charges.
Mr. Balmes said the department order will be given to the NBI today, Nov. 7.
In a separate radio interview Sunday morning, Mr. Aguirre added: “Masyadong suspicious [ ang] circumstances. Kailangan malaman kung ano talaga ang totoo (The circumstances are very suspicious. [ We] need to know what’s really the truth).”
Mr. Espinosa was killed about an hour before dawn of Saturday, Nov. 5, after allegedly shooting it out with police officers who were serving him a search warrant for illegal possession of firearms. Another inmate was killed in that supposed encounter.
Mr. Espinosa was among the so-called narco-politicians named by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his “drug list” released on Aug. 7, five days after Mr. Espinosa surrendered to authorities and was subsequently presented in a news conference by Mr. dela Rosa.
Mr. Espinosa’s son, Rolando “Kerwin” Espinosa, had been tagged the biggest drug lord in the Eastern Visayas. He was caught in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 17 but was last reported to be under investigation by authorities there before he is to be returned to the Philippines.
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, for his part, said on Saturday said he “can smell EJK (extrajudicial killing)” based on “the circumstances that surround the killing.”
Mr. Lacson, a former PNP chief, said: “I think that incident is the biggest challenge to the credibility of the PNP that could affect even the other operations involving the drug suspects killed under similarly suspicious circumstances.”
Both houses of Congress are expected to investigate the Espinosa killing this week.
For its part, the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement on Sunday: “Although Senator Panfilo Lacson said it could be a case of extrajudicial killing, [ Communications Secretary Martin M.] Andanar said the result of the ongoing police inquiry will shed light to why Espinosa was killed inside his prison cell.” “[ But] in the end, it will be the investigation of the Philippine National Police that we will look into and we will depend our rationale or our comments on. So antayin na lang natin ’ yung imbestigasyon ( So let’s just wait for the investigation),” the statement quoted Mr. Andanar as saying.