“Premeditated,” senators says of CIDG action vs Espinosa; lapses, violations noted

 

(Eagle News) — “Premeditated.”

That was how Senator Panfilo Lacson described the operation of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CODG) region 8 where Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa was killed in an alleged shootout after he allegedly resisted the police search
Lacson, head of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, and the other senators who questioned the CIDG officials during the senate hearing on Thursday said there seemed to have been a premediated plan to kill the mayor even before the search warrant had been served.

This came about after the senators learned that the CIDG had called the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) 40 minutes before they entered the Leyte Sub-Provincial Jail in Baybay City.

The CIDG also kept the planning of the operation all to themselves and did not inform their superiors – the Philippine National Police Region 8, nor the CIDG top officials in the main office – nor the jail warden of the Sub-Provincial Jail where Espinosa was detained, about their planned search.

“There’s one word to describe this: Premeditated,” said Senator Lacson after hearing the CIDG’s story.

Senator and boxing champion Manny Pacquiao even said his head is aching after hearing the CIDG’s testimony on the raid, and why they insisted on serving a search warrant to the Mayor when he was already detained.

–CIDG raiding team violated police rules — PNP Director Magalong

There was no proper coordination, and the CIDG regional office violated police procedures here, said Philippine National Police Deputy chief for operations Director Benjamin Magalong.

“Considering that this is a high profile operation, ang protocol namin dyan, commanders should always be informed,” Director Magalong said.

 

“We have such a thing as commanders-should-always-be-informed. He, being the regional CIDG chief, is under the operational control of the Regional Director of Region 8. In the same manner that he also is accountable to the director of CIDG. Both personalities should have been informed beforehand, even days before, while this was still being planned,” Magalong said referring to Supt, Marvin Marcos, chief of the CIDG Region 8.

He said Marcos should have informed the PNP director for region 8 Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar, and the CIDG head Chief Supt. Roel Obusan, of the operation.

Magalong said Supt. Marcos was under the PNP Regional Director Beltejar, and under CIDG chief Obusan. He said Marcos should have coordinated with the two beforehand.

-No coordination with PNP superiors and jail warden —

“They have violated the rule here. He should have coordinated and informed his commanders and at the same time, the concerned units. Dapat nakapag-coordinate sya, ini-specify role nila, mission nila,” Magalong said.

The CIDG -8 also failed to coordinate with the Leyte Provincial Jail Warden, as they claimed that they also did not trust the warden, Homobono Bardillon.

“It’s beginning to be clear now. There is a breakdown in the chain of command,” noted Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan.

Senators learned that the raiding team of the CIDG in Eastern asked for SOCO to be at the Baybay City Jail even even before they arrived at the jail to serve a search warrant against Espinosa and another detainee, Raul Yap, who was also killed in the operation.

– SOCO was called before CIDG even entered jail —

Lacson cited the affidavit of Police Officer 2 Jennifer Monge of the Regional Tactical Operations Center who got a call from Supt. Santi Noel Matira, a member of the raiding team, requesting for a SOCO team at 3:49 a.m.

Lacson then called for Matira who admitted to making the call.

“Were you anticipating that you were going to kill someone?” Lacson asked.

 

Supt. Marcos earlier said that the raiding team arrived at the front gate of the jail at 4:10 a.m.,

But the CIDG only entered the premises at around 4:30 a.m. because the jail guards refused to let them in.

The CIDG allegedly failed to present the search warrant for Espinosa and Yap.

— Jailguards disarmed, forced to “face the wall,” CCTV hard drive missing —

The raiding team used a bolt cutter to open the main gate, and ordered the jail guards and the PNP men assigned at the jail to kneel and face the wall. They disarmed the men, and barged into the jail cells of Espinosa and Yap after forcibly getting the keys from the jailguards.

They did not allow the jail personnel to accompany them in serving the search warrants to the detainees.

After the CIDG came in, jail personnel noticed that the hard disk drive of the CCTV was missing, and that there was a mysterious entry in the logbook, stating that the CCTV was “under repair.”

But Leyte Provincial Jail warden Bardillon, and Leyte Provincial Jail Administrator , Atty. Ed Cordeno, insisted that the CCTV was working well and that jail guards even video-recorded the arrival of the CIDG at the gate using the CCTV.

They said the CCTV had just been installed a few days before and that it was impossible that they would note in the logbook that it was under repair.

Even Police Director Magalong, noted that the action of the CIDG men when they disarmed the jail guards and the PNP assigned as additional security to Espinosa, were highly irregular.

He said the police only disarms suspects, or enemies and not “friendlies” like fellow policemen.

The senators also pointed out that Supt. Matira who called the SOCO, in advance, was included in the list of illegal drug protectors that was provided by the slain mayor in his affidavit. Supt. Marcos also admitted he had a relative, a certain Lalaine Jimenea, a reporter in Leyte, who was also rumored to be on the list.

Senator Pacquiao, sounding exasperated at one point, asked the CIDG operatives pointblank, “Who are you protecting?”

 

-Supt. Matira refuses to surrender phone —

Lacson also directed Supt. Matira to surrender his cellphone, an order which the police officer refused to heed.

The senator then questioned if there is incriminating evidence in his cellphone.

Matira used his cellphone to call up PO2 Monghe requesting for the SOCO at the Baybay City jail.

SUpt. Matira cited his right to privacy, and later his right against self-incrimination, when he continued to defy Lacson’s directive to surrender his phone.