Senator Panfilo Lacson said it was very clear that Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. was targeted.
Lacson, a former police official, said Espinosa’s shooting inside his jail cell on Saturday was a “clear case of extrajudicial killing.”
In light of this, the senator is calling for the resumption of a Senate probe into EJKs and drug-related deaths, even as he is also set to discuss the matter with Sen. Dick Gordon, chair of the Senate justice and human rights committee when sessions resume on Monday (Nov. 7).
According to Lacson, the incident is “the biggest challenge to the credibility of the PNP (Philippine National Police),” especially if there was a possible cover-up for bigger personalities.
Espinosa and another inmate, Raul Yap, were killed in a “raid” inside their cell in Leyte after they allegedly fought it out with authorities.
Espinosa’s sibling Ramon claimed his brother was intentionally killed, saying the shootout scenario was “unbelievable”.
Moreover, the video footage that could shed light into the incident is “missing”, according to Leyte provincial administrator Edgardo Cordeño.
The warden of the jail refused to give a statement about the missing hard drive that contains the footage, but vowed to conduct an investigation.