The Presidential Spokesman said that the Palace has yet no official comment regarding the killing of Mayor Espinosa.
The Malacañan Palace offered no response in connection to the report that Albuerra town Mayor Rolando Espinosa was killed inside his cell.
Espinosa and his fellow detainee Raul Yap allegedly resisted arrest on early Saturday morning and the resistance led to a shootout which killed the local chief executive of Albuerra in the province of Leyte.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in an interview over radio station dzRB that “Right now it’s really under investigation so wala po tayong actual na komentaryo patungkol diyan (Right now, it is really under investigation so we have no actual commentary with regards that)”.
According to reports, the operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of Region 8 attempted to serve a warrant for Mayor Espinosa in connection with illegal possession of firearms inside his cell.
An anti-crime group has called for a probe of the of the circumstances surrounding the killings, wondering how the slain mayor and other inmate got hold of firearms and what prompted them to clash with several policemen while in detention.
Just recently, the Philippine National Police (PNP) also got a town mayor killed identified as Samsudin Dimaukom and nine of his men allegedly in a gunbattle in Makilala town in North Cotabato.
Espinosa and Dimaukom were among about 200 officials named publicly by President Rodrigo Duterte in August as part of his shame campaign.
After being linked to illegal drugs, Espinosa submitted himself to PNP Chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in a nationally televised event.
Espinosa was later released but was arrested last month after being indicted on illegal possession of firearms and drug charges.
The Albuerra mayor’s son, Ronald “Kerwin” Espinosa Jr. Who is allegedly a drug lord, was arrested in Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates (UAE) last month.
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