DYBR Radio reporter Eulogio Caorte said he was invited by the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 8 to cover the pre-dawn search for alleged firearms and drugs at the Baybay City Jail last November 5.
He said he was not informed that the search warrants were for cells Espinosa and another inmate, Raul Yap.
Caorte said the CIDG team arrived at the jail at around 4 a.m., but the operatives were not able to enter the facility immediately due to a broken key.
"Nabali iyung susi. Tinanong ko iyung jailguard ba't nabali iyung susi. Sabi niya, sa takot," he said, adding that policemen had to use a bolt cutter to break down the jail's gate.
The CIDG operatives, he said, then instructed jail guards to kneel and face the wall.
"Noong nakaluhod na iyung jail guards, isang jail guard, nagkanda-ihi sa nerbyos," the reporter shared.
Following orders from policemen, Caorte said he stayed outside the building and heard "four or five" gunshots from the jail cells after a couple of minutes.
It was at this point that Caorte learned the operation's targets were Espinosa and Yap.
After crime scene investigators processed the cell, Caorte said he and other journalists were able to get near Espinosa's body at past 6 a.m.
He said he did not see any gun on the mayor's hand.
Asked if the Scene of the Crime Operatives could have already taken the weapon for safekeeping by then, Caorte insisted that there were no chalk markings on the floor to indicate the gun's location.
The inquiry has been temporarily suspended so lawmakers could focus on floor debates for the national budget this week.
Lacson sees pattern in Espinosa-linked police killings
CONFLICTING STORIES
Senator Panfilo Lacson, as head of the committee on public order and dangerous drugs, has opened an investigation on Espinosa's death.
During Thursday's hearing, CIDG-8 chief inspector Leo Laraga maintained that Espinosa shot at policemen as they entered his cell. He said cops disarmed the "uncooperative" jail guards after they attempted to delay the search operation.
The Eastern Visayas Regional Internal Affairs Service (RIAS), meanwhile, said jail guards claimed that the CIDG team did not present the warrants.
An inmate also shared that he heard Espinosa begging for his life and that the gun found on his body may have been planted, the RIAS added.
Conflicting stories mark Espinosa slay probe
Photos of the "clash" scene obtained by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) also show the mayor's bloodied body with both of his hands empty of a gun. These marked a stark contrast to an official photo released by the CIDG which shows a gun clasped in Espinosa's right hand.
"Para kayong tumatawag ng punerarya, wala pang enkwentro," he said. "There’s one word to describe this – premeditated."
SOURCE: ABS-CBN
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