Death of Rolando Espinosa
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Rolando Rosal Espinosa, the mayor of
Albuera La Albuera is a village southeast of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. it had a population of c. 2,000 inhabitants. History It was scene of the Battle of Albuera (16 May 1811) between Spanish, Portuguese and British troops under William Carr Beresf ...
,
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...
, died on November 5, 2016, at the Baybay City Provincial Jail. He was detained at the jail due to his arrest for illegal drug possession in October 2016. According to the
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is the primary investigation arm of the Philippine National Police. History The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was established as the Criminal Information Service whose origin tr ...
(CIDG), Espinosa was killed during a shootout that he initiated when the CIDG came to the jail to serve him a search warrant. Espinosa's death occurred amid allegations that he was involved in the drug trade by
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
, who initiated the
Philippine Drug War The Philippine drug war, known as the War on Drugs, is the intensified anti-drug campaign of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who served office from June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2022. The campaign reduced drug proliferation in th ...
intending to kill criminals using or distributing drugs. The
Commission on Human Rights A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...
and
Karapatan Karapatan Alliance Philippines (commonly shortened to Karapatan, which translates to ''rights'' in Filipino) is a left-wing non-governmental organization and human rights alliance that conducts research and advocacy of human rights campaigns as ...
have held Duterte accountable for Espinosa's death, with
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
condemning the death as an instance of
extrajudicial killing An extrajudicial killing (also known as extrajudicial execution or extralegal killing) is the deliberate killing of a person without the lawful authority granted by a judicial proceeding. It typically refers to government authorities, whether ...
.


Background


Rolando Espinosa

Rolando Rosal Espinosa was a Filipino politician who served as mayor of
Albuera La Albuera is a village southeast of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. it had a population of c. 2,000 inhabitants. History It was scene of the Battle of Albuera (16 May 1811) between Spanish, Portuguese and British troops under William Carr Beresf ...
,
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...
. He was elected to the position in the May 2016 Philippine elections. Espinosa's campaign focused on combating illegal drugs. Prior to his political career, Espinosa already owned three houses and a hotel in Albuera. The Philippine National Police has alleged that his son Rolan "Kerwin" Eslabon Espinosa is involved in the illegal drug trade.


First surrender

On August 1, 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who was conducting a nationwide campaign against illegal drugs, asked Espinosa and his son Kerwin to surrender themselves within 24 hours "on the grounds of drug-trafficking and coddling." Duterte said that the police would arrest and possibly shoot them if they resisted arrest. Fearing for his life, Espinosa voluntarily surrendered himself at
Camp Crame Camp General Rafael T. Crame () is the national headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP) located along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Quezon City. It is situated across EDSA from Camp Aguinaldo, the national headquarters of ...
to
Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police ( fil, Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas, acronymed as PNP) is the armed national police force in the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Current ...
(PNP) Director General
Ronald Dela Rosa Ronald Marapon dela Rosa (born January 21, 1962), also known as Bato, is a Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one ...
on Aug 2. Espinosa admitted that his son Kerwin was involved in the illegal drug trade in
Eastern Visayas Eastern Visayas ( war, Sinirangan Kabisay-an; ceb, Sidlakang Kabisay-an; tl, Silangang Kabisayaan or ''Silangang Visayas'') is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region VIII. It consists of three main islands, Samar, ...
and urged Kerwin, who had a standing arrest warrant, to surrender himself to authorities. However, Espinosa denied using money from illegal drugs to finance his election campaign. He agreed to undergo drug testing and was turned over to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. At the time of his arrest, the mayor did not have a standing arrest warrant. At 5:30 a.m (UTC +8) on August 3, the police had a shootout with twelve armed men with alleged links to Espinosa in
Barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
Benolho in Albuera. Six of the men were killed, and of ''shabu'' (
methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...
) worth , along with some firearms, were seized. On August 4, 2016, CIDG Region 8 and the Albuera Police Station filed criminal charges against the Espinosas. On August 6, Espinosa, along with his daughter and wife, left the PNP director general's residence in Camp Crame and went back to Leyte. On August 7, Duterte announced a list of government officials, police officers, and law practitioners who were allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade in the country. Espinosa was included in Duterte's list. Espinosa resumed work as mayor on August 16.


Second surrender and arrest

On August 24, 2016, Espinosa went to the police to seek custody due to threats to his life. Espinosa promised to reveal his son's connections. Three days later, the police took Espinosa into custody. On October 5, Espinosa was arrested for alleged possession of illegal drugs when the police found at least of methamphetamine at the Espinosa
ancestral home An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...
in Albuerra. Espinosa was brought to the Baybay City
Regional Trial Court The Regional Trial Courts ( fil, Panrehiyong Hukuman sa Paglilitis) are the highest trial courts in the Philippines. In criminal matters, they have original jurisdiction. History It was formerly called as the Court of First Instance since the ...
, which ordered him to be detained at the
Baybay City Baybay (IPA: aɪ'baɪ, officially the City of Baybay ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Baybay; war, Syudad han Baybay), is a 1st class component city in the province of Leyte, Philippines. It has a population of 111,848 people. With an area of , it is the s ...
Provincial Jail. In October, he was charged with illegal drug possession by the regional trial court. He was also brought to the Western Leyte Provincial Hospital where he underwent a medical examination.


Death

Judge Tarcelo Sabarre Jr. of the Regional Trial Court Branch 30 issued two search warrants against Rolando Espinosa and Raul Yap, who was also suspected of being involved in illegal drugs, at the Baybay City Provincial Jail in Barangay Hipusngo. The
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is the primary investigation arm of the Philippine National Police. History The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was established as the Criminal Information Service whose origin tr ...
(CIDG) of Region 8, led by Police Chief Inspector Leo Laraga, served the warrants in the early morning of November 5, 2016. According to the CIDG, Espinosa and Yap first shot at the CIDG operatives, resulting in a shootout between the two men and the CIDG. Espinosa and Yap died in the alleged firefight.


Reactions

The
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan () or Bayan is an alliance of left-wing Philippine organizations. It was founded on International Workers' Day, May 1, 1985 as part of the opposition during the Marcos dictatorship. Politics Ideology The princ ...
expressed concerns over strong indications that the death of Espinosa was a "cold-blooded murder," saying that the circumstances of his death were highly questionable. They urged the relief of CIDG operatives involved in the incident as well as of the CIDG Section 8 leadership, pending a "thorough and impartial" investigation. The group also said that those implicated in the list of alleged drug lords may take advantage of Espinosa's killing. They urged Duterte to condemn Rolando Espinosa's killing and labeled the incident as a setback for the president's war on drugs. The
Commission on Human Rights A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...
and
Karapatan Karapatan Alliance Philippines (commonly shortened to Karapatan, which translates to ''rights'' in Filipino) is a left-wing non-governmental organization and human rights alliance that conducts research and advocacy of human rights campaigns as ...
also called for people involved in Espinosa's death to be held accountable. Karapatan in particular linked the police to "narcopolitics" and alleged that the CIDG conducted a " rubout". Following the incident, Senator
Panfilo Lacson Panfilo "Ping" Morena Lacson Sr. (; born June 1, 1948) is a Filipino former politician and police general who served as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator for three terms: from 2001 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022. He was the Chief of the Phil ...
called for the possible resumption of the Senate inquiry into deaths related to the
Philippine war on drugs The Philippine drug war, known as the War on Drugs, is the intensified anti-drug campaign of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who served office from June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2022. The campaign reduced drug proliferation in th ...
. He labeled the incident as a "clear case of extrajudicial killing" and as the "biggest challenge to the credibility of the PNP". Lacson alleged that there was a cover-up for "bigger personalities" and questioned why the CIDG, instead of a court sheriff, was sent, since Espinosa was already detained. He also alleged that Yap was killed so that there would be no witnesses.


Aftermath


Investigation

PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa ordered an investigation of the incident, promising that there would be no cover-up. On the same day as the CIDG operation, operatives arrived at the crime scene where they were apprised of a Super Caliber .38 pistol, a magazine of live ammunition, a small heat-sealed sachet of suspected methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia in Espinosa's cell. A panel led by the Regional Director Chief Superintendent of region 8, a certain Beltejar, was formed to investigate the incident. The Regional Internal Affairs Service also planned to conduct a separate investigation. Video footage of the CIDG operations was found to be missing. An autopsy on Espinosa's body revealed that he was shot four times, with one bullet managing to exit the body. The findings of the study also raised the possibility that Espinosa may have been lying down when he was shot dead. Two of his expensive rings were also found to be missing. The bullets were sent to the regional crime laboratory for further investigation. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also became involved in the case. In December 2016, the agency concluded that the death of Rolando Espinosa was a result of a rubout. It recommended the filing of murder and perjury charges against police personnel involved in the operation. The NBI described the arrest warrants, which served as the basis for the operation, as having been "maliciously obtained". It noted that Paul Olendan, whose perjured affidavit the warrant was based on, was in Leyte National High School in
Tacloban Tacloban ( ; ), officially the City of Tacloban ( war, Syudad han Tacloban; fil, Lungsod ng Tacloban), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. The city is autonomous from the province of Leyte, a ...
at the time he claimed to have visited the Baybay Jail. The NBI added that there had been an anti-contraband operation on October 30, 2016, in the jail where Espinosa was detained, and that enforcers only found cellphones during that operation.


Burial of Espinosa

Espinosa was buried at the Catholic Cemetery in Albuera, Leyte on December 3, 2016, following a requiem mass at the Saint James Parish Church. His funeral procession was attended by 1,500 people.


See also

*
2017 Ozamiz police raid At dawn of Sunday, July 30, 2017, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Ozamiz City police conducted a simultaneous raid in the house of the Parojinogs in Ozamiz and other associated properties, leaving 15 persons killed, incl ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espinosa, Rolando 2016 crimes in the Philippines Drug-related deaths in the Philippines Deaths by person in the Philippines History of Leyte (province) Philippine drug war November 2016 events in the Philippines