MANILA, Philippines—The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Tuesday that the incident which happened last November 5, on the killing of the suspected drug lord Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa and his cell mate Raul Yap at a provincial jail was not a shootout with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) officers, but a “rubout”.
The NBI spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin said in a news conference that “After conducting an exhaustive investigation of the incidents surrounding the killing of Mayor Espinosa and Yap, the NBI concluded that the testimonies of several witnesses had disputed the claim of an alleged shootout between the CIDG operatives and inmates Mayor Espinosa and Yap but a rubout.”
“It is patently clear that the acts of the CIDG 8 operatives showed a community of purpose or an implied conspiracy,” he added.
There were 24 CIDG Region 8 officers, including Supt. Marvin Marcos, former CIDG Eastern Visayas director, and several others on the raid team has been filed of multiple murder on Espinosa’s death.
“There was unison in their purpose and action, signifying that they were all moved by a single criminal intent,” Lavin said.
Police Chief Inspector Leo Diao Laraga, PO3 Norman Abellanosa, and Paul Olendan, were also filed of charges by the NBI.
Olendan was a former inmate which the police used to obtain malicious search warrant against Espinosa and Yap. He said that Espinosa had a handgun beside his pillow and Yap was in possession of shabu.
Yap and Espinosa allegedly started a fight against the policemen and that resulted on their deaths.
Espinosa’s son, Visayan drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, however believed that his father was killed due to rubout.