Cops in Espinosa slay say complaint by NBI ‘reckless’

Relatives cry at the sight of the body of the late Albuera mayor Roland Espinosa Sr. after it was brought out of the Babay jail. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

Police officers accused of murder for the death of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. branded as reckless the complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against them.

First, Atty. Roland Inting, speaking for the 12 lawyers of all the police officers, said the NBI failed to prove that there was conspiracy among 24 police officers.

“Conspiracy has to be proven with the same evidence as what they say about the alleged murder [but] they have not come up such an evidence,” Inting said.

The respondent police officers filed their respective counter-affidavits denying their participation in the alleged murder.

Inting said the respondents gave a detailed account on what they were doing and where they were on the day Espinosa was killed inside the Baybay jail.

Second, he said aside from lack of evidence, the NBI included in the case names that are either wrongly designated, was on leave during the incident or the name was included by mistake.

Inting was referring to Police Officers 1 (PO1) Jane Brones Gisma and Divine Grace Baclas Songalia who both said they were not part of the November 5 operation.

On the other hand, PO2 Niel Patrimonio Centino has been absent without official leave since Oct. 5, 2016 or exactly a month before Espinosa and Yap were killed inside the Baybay jail.

“That basically put into question the complaint,” Inting said.

On the other hand, Espinosa’s son Kerwin appeared before the DOJ and submitted a complaint-affidavit against the same police officers.

Espinosa’s counsel Atty. Lailano Villarino said the complaint was basically similar to the complaint filed by the NBI.

“There has to be a private complainant,” Villarino said.

The panel of prosecutors gave the police officers up to Feb. 2 to respond to Espinosa’s affidavit.