Lacson to seek resumption of Senate EJK probe after Espinosa’s killing

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Saturday said he will seek the resumption of the Senate's investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings (EJK) following the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa inside a provincial jail.

"Offhand, I can smell EJK and I base my conclusion on the circumstances that surround the killing," Lacson said in a statement.

Lacson said that when the Senate resumes sessions on Monday, he will propose to Senator Richard Gordon to resume the probe into the alleged EJKs.

"I will discuss the possibility of resuming the EJK investigation with Justice Committee chair Sen. Richard Gordon and focus on the Espinosa killing when session resumes on Monday," he said.

The Senate's EJK probe, which was started by then committee chair Sen. Leila de Lima, was "indefinitely suspended" by Gordon.

The committee looked into the alleged EJKs of drug suspects since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in July.

Cover-up?

Aside from finding out if Espinosa's death is a case of EJK, Lacson said he also wants to uncover the real motive behind the killing and expose possible suspects who want to silence the Albuera mayor.

"Gusto ko malaman, meron bang pinagtatakpan dito na malaking personalidad? Gusto rin natin malaman kung isa 'yan sa posibleng motibo sa pangyayaring ito," Lacson said in a radio interview.

"'Di ba may payola sinasabi? May lumabas sa payola may retired na PNP at kung sinu-sino pa? Kailangan malaman natin para ma-establish natin, meron ba talagang motibo isilensyo itong mga tao marami silang nalalaman sa malaking personalidad na posibleng protector o katulong nila sa pagbebenta ng droga noong araw?," the senator said.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 8 operatives killed Espinosa and drug suspect Raul Yap while serving search warrants at the Baybay, Leyte Sub-Provincial Jail early Saturday. The two victims allegedly fired guns at the cops.

Lacson said that the incident is the "biggest challenge to the credibility of the PNP [Philippine National Police]."

He added that the killing of Espinosa and Yap inside their jail cells "could affect affect even the other operations involving drug suspects killed under similarly suspicious circumstances."

Lacson added: "I can't understand for the life of me how a prisoner inside a prison cell could even think of fighting back against police officers serving a warrant for his arrest."

The senator also wondered why  CIDG officers and not the court personnel, such as a sheriff, served the warrant.

"The only other prisoner inside the same cell was also killed, therefore no witness could testify," Lacson said.

Edgar Allan Alvarez, an alleged drug source of Kerwin Espinosa, was also killed by policemen last August during an alleged raid inside the Leyte Regional Penitentiary in Abuyog town.

Police claimed that Alvarez lobbed a grenade at the raiding team, but it failed to explode. He then allegedly drew a gun and fired at the raiding team.

The Senate's EJK investigation had also tackled the killing of a drug suspect and his father inside the Pasay City Police Station's detention facility.

PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said he has ordered the CIDG's mother unit, the Police Regional Office 8 and Internal Affairs Service to conduct "impartial and independent" investigations into Espinosa's killing.

'No longer safe'

In a separate statement, Gordon said Espinosa's killing was “a dagger in the heart of the criminal justice system as it appears that even those who are in the custody of the law are no longer safe.”

Gordon said he was "puzzled" by the alleged circumstances surrounding Espinosa's death.

“How can we encourage suspects to surrender under the law in this situation? It’s a slap on the face of the rule of law and it signals a more desperate system – a ‘take no prisoners’ approach. This creates an atmosphere of intimidation and fear and puts everybody in danger,” Gordon said.

The senator urged the police to investigate the incident and prevent all killings, "especially of those already arrested and detained, lest it be construed or misconstrued as part of the Duterte administration’s all-out war against drugs."

“It is in the public interest to dispel speculations as well as to allay fear among our people. The police must show that it is responsible and capable of protecting its citizens and delivering justice to them under the rule of law,” he said.

Espinosa's accomplices

Meanwhile, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV lamented Espinosa's killing, saying, "we will never know who his accomplices are, where his supplies are coming from and who his clients are."

"Regardless of the script the local police would use, at the end of the day, dead men tell no tales," he said.

Trillanes said, "It's now up to the PNP leadership to demonstrate to our people that its professionalism and dicipline haven't broken down completely yet by immediately conducting an impartial and thorough investigation on this incident." —John Ted Cordero/VVP/ALG, GMA News