No need to reinvestigate Espinosa killing — Gordon

MANILA, Philippines - Instead of reinvestigating the killing of Mayor Rolando Espinosa of Albuera, Leyte, Sen. Richard Gordon said what should be investigated is the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II for possible malfeasance.

Gordon expressed his disappointment at the decision of the DOJ to downgrade the charges filed against the policemen accused of killing Espinosa from murder to homicide.

This in spite of what Gordon noted was overwhelming and clear evidence showing that police Supt. Marvin Marcos and his men from the Philipine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Region 8 planned the killing of Espinosa inside his jail cell in Leyte.

“If we were to investigate this then it would be to find out if there was malfeasance on the part of the DOJ,” Gordon told radio dwIZ.

Gordon was reacting to the call of Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III to reopen the Senate investigation into the Espinosa killing in response to the action of the DOJ and its state prosecutors.

Pimentel said that it would be good to look into the submissions made by the prosecution after the Senate’s probe was concluded, which he said could shed light on why the downgrading of the charges was made.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, was not too keen about the proposal of Pimentel because the committee already concluded that the killing of Espinosa was premeditated and the senators have approved unanimously the report it submitted to the plenary.

Since the matter deals with the downgrading of the charges against the policemen, Lacson said that it might be better handled by the justice committee headed by Gordon.

Gordon said that he agreed with Lacson on the findings of the public order committee and saw no reason to reopen the investigation into the killing.

If at all an investigation would be conducted, Gordon said that it should be by the Blue Ribbon committee regarding the possible malfeasance on the part of the DOJ and even Aguirre.

“I don’t like these investigations that lead nowhere,” Gordon said, referring to the initial murder charges filed by the DOJ against the policemen.

He said Aguirre should be held responsible for the downgrading of the charges and cannot simply wash his hands off the matter.

Gordon recalled how Aguirre told the Senate inquiry that what took place was a case of double murder and that there was evident premeditation.

“It appears now that he (Aguirre) was lying. It is the responsibility of the DOJ to represent the people of the Philippines,” Gordon said.

“If they cannot go after the criminals, then the Senate of the people of the Philippines has the power to investigate him and come up with laws that will affect the powers of his office. That can happen,” he added.

Gordon said that he would give Aguirre the opportunity to correct what happened by reviewing and modifying the charges against the policemen.

“Kung hindi niya magawan yan, tuluyan natin yan (if he can’t do that, let’s go after him),” Gordon said.