The Philippine National Police (PNP) is currently holding seven of its personnel on suspicion of involvement in the botched assassination attempt on Albuera, Leyte mayoral candidate Rolan Eslabon “Kerwin” Espinosa.
“We now have seven policemen under custody… they are being investigated on whether or not they have anything to do with the shooting of Mr. Espinosa,” PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Jean Fajardo told reporters in Filipino on Friday.
They were later identified as Colonel Reydante Ariza, Lieutenant Colonel Leonides Sydiongco, Sergeant Alrose Astilla, Corporal Arvin Jose Baronda, Corporal Jeffrey Dagoy, Corporal Alexander Reponte, and Patrolman Maricor Espinosa.
She explained that the seven cops were caught inside a compound where the getaway vehicle of the suspected shooter tried to hide following a hot pursuit operation.
A cache of firearms was also discovered in two vehicles parked inside the compound.
“We [PNP] conducted a pursuit operation because we had a motor vehicle of interest, a Montero, which allegedly fled the scene of the shooting in a hurry,” Fajardo added.
“We managed to catch up with it immediately. Upon entering the compound [where the alleged getaway vehicle entered], we came upon the seven cops there,” she added.
The seven detained PNP personnel were assigned to the Ormoc City Police Station.
Following the incident, images were released online showing Espinosa wounded but apparently out of danger.
However, rumors were rife that the mayoralty candidate staged the assassination attempt to drum up public support for his campaign.
“Who would deliberately aim to get shot near their heart? This was not a staged event,” Espinosa said in a live-stream post on Facebook.
“This happened because they do not want me to serve as mayor of Albuera because their businesses would be affected,” he added without identifying suspects.
Last October, Espinosa testified before the House of Representatives that former PNP chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa forced him to implicate former Sen. Leila De Lima and businessman Peter Lim in the illegal drug trade.
He said that the former police chief threatened to harm him and his family if he refused to comply with the order.
Dela Rosa previously served as the Duterte administration’s first PNP chief and is also known as the implementer of its bloody drug war.
Espinosa’s father, Rolando Sr., then Albuera mayor, was killed in a supposed shootout with lawmen in November 2016 while detained at the Baybay City Provincial Jail on drug charges.
Nineteen policemen were charged for the killing but were acquitted by a Quezon City court. They were later on reinstated in the service by former President Rodrigo Duterte.
