BAYBAY CITY, Leyte, Philippines – A town mayor named by President Duterte as being involved in illegal drugs was shot dead in jail early yesterday, the second local official implicated in narcotics to be killed in two weeks.
Duterte had previously accused Rolando Espinosa, the mayor of Albuera town in Leyte, and his son Kerwin of drug trafficking and demanded they turn themselves in, giving police a “shoot on sight” order if the two resisted arrest.
Mayor Espinosa then surrendered to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa, saying he feared for his life, and was arrested last month.
But early yesterday, Espinosa was killed in his cell in the provincial jail here after he allegedly tried to shoot it out with lawmen from the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) who were serving a search warrant.
Another inmate identified as Raul Yap was also killed in the supposed shootout.
Espinosa is the second local official implicated in narcotics killed by the police in less than two weeks.
On Oct. 28, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao town mayor Samsudin Dimaukom was killed along with nine companions at a police checkpoint in North Cotabato.
Police said Dimaukom and his men opened fire on the policemen manning the checkpoint.
Espinosa and Yap, who were in separate cells, were both reportedly armed and fired on the raiding team.
Chief Insp. Leo Laraga, leader of the CIDG team, said they were forced to fire back after they were shot by Espinosa and Yap, who were in two separate cells.
“He (Espinosa) fired on the raiding team. The raiding team fired back and this led to the mayor’s death,” Laraga said.
He added Yap, accused of drug trafficking, was also killed after he too fired at the police officers.
Laraga said Espinosa was armed with a super .38 pistol while Yap had a .45 caliber automatic.
Laraga added the lawmen also found sachets of shabu and drug paraphernalia in the cells of Espinosa and Yap.
Laraga said they applied for the search warrant after an informant revealed Espinosa and Yap were dealing in illegal drugs from inside the jail.
The informant added Espinosa and Yap had firearms stashed somewhere inside their cells, he said.
CIDG regional Chief Supt. Marvin Marcos defended his men, saying they were forced to kill the two detainees in self-defense.
“It was a legitimate operation as ordered by the court, (in search) for a firearm in possession by Espinosa be recovered and illegal drugs from Yap, aside from the short firearm seized from his (Espinosa’s) cell,” Marcos said.
The PNP said it was investigating the circumstances surrounding Espinosa’s death as well as possible collusion between jail guards and inmates to get guns and drugs into the jail.
Leyte provincial police director Senior Supt. Franc Simborio ordered the Baybay City police to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
“Jail guards and jail officials will, of course, be the main subject of the investigation so that whoever responsible should face administrative and criminal consequences,” Simborio said.
PNP spokesman Senior Supt. Dionardo Carlos said the probe would be focusing more on finding out if the CIDG raiding team observed the proper procedure in serving a search warrant.
There were reports that the CIDG did not coordinate their service of the warrant with the regional police and the jail warden.
There were also reports that the CIDG confiscated the CCTV videos in the jail that could show the supposed firefight that broke out.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno has ordered PNP chief Dela Rosa to gather substantial evidence on the reported firefight inside the provincial jail.
“We want to know if CIDG Region 8 followed standard operating procedures in undertaking this operation and in serving the search warrant on Espinosa and Yap,” Sueno said.
“It is unfortunate that this operation led to this (death of the inmates), but of course, we also do not want our people to be the one lying dead in the course of doing their job,” he said.
Dela Rosa previously said Espinosa had been listed in official records as a “drug protector,” whose son Kerwin controlled the narcotics trade in the Eastern Visayas region.
Kerwin was arrested in the United Arab Emirates last month and is set to return to the Philippines to face drug trafficking charges.
In August, six of the Espinosas’ supporters died in a gunfight with police outside the mayor’s property in Albuera, from where officers said they recovered guns and several grenades. – With Miriam Desacada, Jaime Laude, Janvic Mateo