Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa admitted that “someone higher” asked him to reinstate Supt. Marvin Marcos to his position even before Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. died in a police operation inside his cell last Nov. 5.

“May tumawag sa akin. Hindi ko sasabihin pero may tumawag sa akin. Hindi ako nagsisinungaling ha pero ayaw kong sabihin sa ‘yo kung sinong tumawag. Sa akin na lang ‘yon,” Dela Rosa said in an interview with broadcaster Karen Davila on ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC)’s Headstart.

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(Someone called me. I won’t say who but someone called me. I’m not lying but I don’t want to say who called. I’ll keep it to myself.)

The police chief declined to identify the person but said he would tell all in the executive session at the Senate.

Asked if the person who backed Marcos was someone of higher rank, Dela Rosa answered in the affirmative.

Dela Rosa refused to confirm whether it was an order from President Duterte or his cabinet members but he said: “Sino pa bang mas mataas sa akin? Eh ‘di ‘yung mga nasa taas (Who has a higher rank than me? The ones who are on top).”

Dela Rosa said he did not regret following orders from the higher-ups.

“Magreregret ako kung alam ko lang na prior to that incident, may knowledge ako na mamamatay siya. Pero ‘yung pag-reinstate kay Marcos, I don’t regret it,” he said.

(I’d regret it if I knew that prior to that incident, I already had knowledge that he would die. But I don’t regret reinstating Marcos.)

“Had I known it earlier na mamamatay si Espinosa sa operation ‘yon, magsisisi ako pero to be honest with you hindi ko talaga alam ‘yon,” he added.

(Had I known earlier that Espinosa would die in that operation, I would have regretted it, but to be honest with you, I didn’t know that.)

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Marcos is the chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)’s Eastern Visayas unit that led the search inside the jail cell of Espinosa. The mayor died after allegedly fighting back with the 15-man police team.

Marcos, along with CIDG Region 8 officials Supt. Noel Santi Matira and Chief Insp. Leo Laraga, the officer who shot Espinosa, have since been relieved from their post.

They were later put under restrictive custody inside the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame while the PNP’s Internal Affairs Service is conducting an investigation. JE/rga

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