Updated: 11:44 p.m., July 16, 2017

Published: 4:50 p.m., July 16, 2017

Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Sunday urged the National Police Commission (Napolcom) to review the decision of the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service (IAS) to slap light penalties on Supt. Marvin Marcos and 18 of his men for last year’s killing of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa.

“Marcos’ case may have deeper implications. Police scalawags may now invoke his case as precedent and demand to be given field assignments,” Lacson tweeted.

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Lacson said the IAS recommendation to impose a four-month suspension on Marcos for the Espinosa killing and to slap other lighter penalties on his men could still be appealed to the Napolcom.

“Napolcom should therefore be very careful in reviewing the Marcos case and consider the deeper implications on police discipline and efficiency. Imagine if police scalawags were given field assignments invoking the Marcos case as precedent, and deployed all over, then we have a much bigger peace and order problem,” the senator said.

Marcos and his men had been indicted for the killing of Espinosa at the Baybay City Regional Trial Court at Baybay City Sub-Provincial Jail during the wee hours of Nov. 5.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group regional operatives gunned him down in his cell after a supposed shootout, as Espinosa allegedly resisted the enforcement of a search warrant issued by a court in neighboring Samar province.

Although initially indicted for the nonbailable offense of murder, the Department of Justice (DOJ) on May 29 ordered the charges downgraded to the bailable offense of homicide. It said there was no proof of “evident premeditation” to classify the killing as a planned outcome.

The DOJ’s move paved the way for Marcos’ freedom in June.

On Wednesday, no less than President Duterte said: “The suspension has ended; I said, take him back to his job. He wasn’t even there.”

Last week, the reinstatement of Marcos and his men drew an expletive from Lacson, who early this year led an inquiry into the Espinosa killing.

His committee on public order and dangerous drugs concluded that Marcos and his men killed Espinosa and another inmate, Raul Yap, in cold blood inside a jail in Leyte last year.

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The committee had recommended murder charges against Marcos and his men.

In radio interviews on Sunday, Sen. Richard Gordon and Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the families of Espinosa and Yap could question the DOJ downgrade of the cases as well as tne IAS recommendation for grave abuse of discretion.

Drilon said the families could seek a reconsideration from the Office of the President, the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

Former police chief superintendent and Antipolo City 2nd Dist. Rep. Romeo Acop, for his part, expressed fear that the Duterte government’s bloody antinarcotics campaign is creating a “bigger monster” out of the PNP.

PNP Director-General Ronald dela Rosa’s move to allow Marcos to return to the police service may prompt other police officers facing criminal charges to seek their reinstatement too, Acop said in a radio interview on Sunday.

Acop added that Marcos was “somewhat an exception” to the rules on erring PNP members that have prevailed until now.

“You see, you always hear… there had been allegations that they (PNP) are responsible for summary killings. This may or may not be true. But, assuming that is true, it will be very hard to get the Philippine National Police back in line,” he said.

Acop said his legal staff is currently drawing up a House resolution to begin an inquiry into Marcos’ reinstatement, similar to a probe being readied in the Senate by Lacson.

SFM

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