CIDG officer who called for SOCO before Espinosa died refuses to turn over cellphone 

Supt. Santi Noel Matira, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) officer who requested for a Scene of Crime Operatives (SOCO) team prior to the death of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa, refused to turn over his cellphone to his superiors Thursday. 

During the hearing of the Senate public order committee on the killing of Espinosa and drug suspect Raul Yap, Senator Panfilo Lacson instructed Matira to submit his phone “right now.”

Matira refused, invoking his right to self-incrimination. 

“Co-consult lang po ako sa lawyer,” Matira said. 

Lacson then told the CIDG officer: “”You don’t want to be incriminated kasi may incrimnating sa cell phone mo?” 

“Not necessarily,” Matira replied. 

Lacson said: “If you don’t want to cooperate and you’re invoking your right to self-incrimination, then so be it.” 

Matira was the supervising officer of the CIDG operation. He was designated deputy by Supt. Marvin Marcos, CIDG Region 8 chief. 

Matira requested for a SOCO team at 3:49 a.m. on November 5. Marcos’ presentation of the sequence of events, however, shows that the CIDG team was able to enter the jail premises only at 4:30 a.m. 

Espinosa and Yap were killed in an alleged shootout inside the Baybay Sub-Provincial Jail. 

According to operatives of the CIDG who killed Espinosa inside his jail cell, the mayor fired at them first.

The CIDG claims the shootout happened when it tried to serve a search warrant on the mayor for possession of drugs and a firearm inside the jail. — Kathrina Charmaine Alvarez/RSJ, GMA News