Antipolo City 2nd Rep. Romeo Acop (Facebook)

The killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa while in detention was a direct result of the alleged cash reward allotted for eliminating suspects during the bloody drug war of the previous administration, according to Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop.

Acop, a vice chairperson of the four panels comprising the House quad-committee (quad-comm), says his claim is a reasonable explanation for the “puzzling” operation overseen by then-Region 8 Criminal Investigation and Detention Group (CIDG) chief Col. Marvin Marcos and his team.

According to reports, The CIDG was trying to serve a search warrant to Espinosa in connection with illegal possession of firearms inside his cell at the Baybay City sub-provincial jail.

Espinosa and another inmate allegedly initiated a gunfight against the policemen. 

The mayor, who is among the local officials former president Rodrigo Duterte had linked to illegal drugs, was already in jail for a month before the incident took place. He was arrested for illegal drug possession. 

Espinosa was killed on Nov. 5, 2016. He was arguably the first high-profile death under the Duterte drug war.

“Iyong puzzle po ninyo, kaya nag-apply sila ng search warrant para makapasok at mapatay nila iyong tao. May reward iyong patay. Iyong buhay, wala eh,” said Acop during the recent quad-comm hearing into extrajudicial killings (EJKs).

(This puzzle of yours, they applied for a search warrant to enter and kill the person. There's a reward for the dead. For the living, there's none.)

Based on several testimonies that quad-comm has so far received, up to P1 million was paid to policemen and hired guns who killed high-profile drug suspects such as government officials.

It was alleged that the drug war reward system was funded by money from illegal numbers games, Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), and even intelligence funds from the Office of the President (OP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

During the recent quad-comm hearing, the congressmen interrogated CIDG’s Marcos on why his team had to obtain a warrant to search the incarcerated  Espinosa.

Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the mega-panel’s lead chairman, found it absurd how Marcos ordered his team’s lead, Maj. Leo Larraga, to arrest the already detained mayor.

“I heard you said na (that) you ordered Maj. Larraga to arrest Mayor Espinosa, why would you make such an order eh hindi lang siya arestado, naka-detain na siya? (when he was not only already arrested but detained as well?) So bakit? (why?) What was the logic behind that order?” Barbers asked.

“If we will have a positive result based on the implementation of the search warrant on illegal drugs and possession of firearms, we will also arrest him to file another case because it would be a separate case dun sa nakakulong po siya, kasi ibang kaso po yun sir (from the one he is currently detained for, as it is a different offense, sir),” replied Marcos.

Barbers, however, said this remains a “puzzle” to him as to why Marcos’ team needed a search warrant in the first place.

“Di ba normally ang ginagawa nyo Oplan Galugad. Gagalugad meron kayong info dun sa loob. Hindi naman na kailangan ng search warrant,” the lawmaker noted.

(Normally, what you do is Oplan Galugad, right? You conduct a search because you already have information inside. A search warrant isn't really needed.)

Nineteen police officers, including Marcos, were charged with homicide in the killing of Espinosa.

In 2021, a Quezon City court dismissed the charges after prosecutors were unable to prove their guilt.