Lacson: Senate should ‘denounce’ DOJ over case downgrade vs. Espinosa slay suspects

The Senate should “denounce” the Department of Justice (DOJ), following the downgrading of criminal charges against the policemen accused in the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday.

Lacson, chairman of the Senate public order committee, earlier said that the death of Espinosa was clearly “premeditated.”

“The committee report was unanimously adopted by the senate, and I would say, that says a lot,” Lacson said in a text message to reporters on Tuesday.

“I guess we spoke too soon in commending the DOJ when it recommended the filing of information indicting Supt. [Marvin] Marcos et. al. for double murder in spite of the loud and repeated pronouncements of the President to the contrary,” he said.

Lacson was referring to President Rodrigo Duterte’s earlier pronouncements that he would pardon, reinstate, and even promote the policemen behind the slay of Espinosa and another inmate, Raul Yap, inside the Leyte Sub-Provincial Jail in Baybay City on November 5.

“It is but fitting that the same Senate denounce the same DOJ which has now turned around and reneged on its mandate to serve justice in a way that the blindfolded lady holding the scale would have wanted it,” Lacson said.

Leyte prosecutors filed on June 6 a motion with the Baybay City Regional Trial Court Branch 14 informing the court about the DOJ's May 29 decision to indict the respondents for homicide instead.

The DOJ ruling came after the 19 accused led by Supt. Marcos asked the department to overturn the resolution of the five-man panel of prosecutors in Manila that led to their indictment and arrest last March.

Marcos, along with the other policemen, were able to walk out of detention, after they were granted bail by the court. — MDM, GMA News