LACSON duda sa pagkamatay ni Espinosa,'I CAN SMELL EJK'

MANILA, Philippines – Malaki ang hinala ni Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson na biktima ng extrajudicial killing si Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., dahil na rin sa “circumstances” ng pagkamatay nito.

“Offhand, I can smell EJK (extra-judicial killing), and I base my conclusion on the circumstances that surround the killing,” ani Lacson na dating hepe ng Philippine National Police (PNP).

“Why the CIDG officers and not the court personnel, say, just the sheriff served the warrant, since he was detained anyway and why there was a need to serve the warrant personally on Mayor Espinosa when they could simply coordinate with the warden?”

Ninanais din ng senador  sa pagbabalik ng sesyon bukas (Lunes) ang posibleng pagbubukas ng imbestigasyon ng EJK ng Senate committee on justice at ituon ang pagdinig sa kaso ni Espinosa.

“Now, I dare them to ans­wer these questions and more in order to convince me to believe their story,” 

“I think that incident is the biggest challenge to the credibility of the PNP that could affect even the other operations involving drug suspects killed under similarly suspicious circumstances,”dagdag ni Lacson.

Nagpahayag din ng saloobin siSen. Antonio Trillanes IV, anya “It’s now up to the PNP leadership to demonstrate to our people that it’s professionalism and discipline haven’t broken down completely yet by immediately conducting an impartial and thorough investigation on this incident.”

Maging si Sen. Richard ‘Dick’ Gordon, chairman of the Senate committee on justice ay naalarma rin sa pagkamatay ni Espinosa.

“This is 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,” 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,” ani Gordon.

Sa kwento naman ng CIDG official na naguna sa operasyon, kinailangan umano nila mag issue ng search warrant dahil may witness umanong nakapagsabi na may mga jail officials na sangkot sa illegal na droga sa loob ng Baybay City Provincial Jail.

Ayon kay CIDG Norther Leyte Provincial Officer chief inspector Leo Laraga ang nasabing witness ay dating henchman ng isang napatay na drug lord sa  Abuyog Penal Colony kung saan umano regular na kumukuha ng 20 hanggang 50 kilo ng Shabu si Espinosa.

Kinausap umano ni Raul Yap, ang inmate ni Espinosa, ang nasabing witness at sinabing kailangan nya ng tulong upang madispose ang hawak nilang narcotics.

"Nagpakita lang siya (witness) ng ID tapos hindi na siya ni-log in nung mga guard. Lumalabas na nakatimbre yung pagpasok niya," pahayag ni Laraga.

"Pwede naman mag-coordinate lang with jail officials, but considering the information that was given, parang meron ng conspiracy, collusion doon,"

Gumami din umano ng bolt cutters ang CIDG agents at tinanggalan ng baril ang mga jail officials na tumangging ihonor ang warrant na dala nila.

Ipinagtataka naman naman ni Lacson ang pagkamatay rin ng nag-iisang jailmate ni Espinosa na si Yap, na posibleng sanang maging witness sa pangyayari. Iginiit naman ng mga imbestigador na si Yap at Espinosa ay nasa magkahiwalay na selda.

Ayon pa kay Lacson, kailangan umanong ipaliwanag ng CIDG kung bakit "a prisoner inside a prison cell could even think of fighting back against police officers serving a warrant," 

Posible din umaning may mga nangyayaring cover-up sa mga nangyayaring patayan.

“My primary interest is in the possibility of cover-up for certain personalities in the father-and-son payola as the motive for the killing, not only of the mayor but even the lawyer earlier this year,” ani Lacson.

Tiniyak naman ni  Communications Secretary Martin Andanar  sa isang interview sa DZMM na iimbestigahan nila ang pagkamatay ni Espinosa.

Nagpahayag din si PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS) chief Deputy Inspector General Leo Angelo Leuterio na magsasagawa ng "independent and impartial investigation" ang Philippine National Police.