Duterte admits reinstating police officer allegedly involved in death of mayor, inmate in jail

July 12, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte admits he ordered the reinstatement of Supt. Marvin Marcos to police service after he was suspended for alleged involvement on the murder of late Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr and an inmate inside a sub-provincial prison last year. “Marcos is suspended. After his suspension, I ordered to bring him back to his work. He was not there. He was too far away. He was not part of the raiding team,” Duterte said in his speech during the 26th anniversary celebration of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Camp Aguinaldo. Duterte said he will not allow government men to be put in jail for doing their duty. “I said these in front of the Cabinet. I will never,never allow a military man, a government man, a policeman to be detained for doing his duty and obeying my order. I will really allow it, even if you file whatever cases,” he said. In an ambush interview after the event, Philippine National Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa confirmed Marcos will return to duty as his administrative case was  resolved. “He will return to his unit, his former unit is the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). So it will defend on the CIDG where he will be assigned,” he said. “His case was already resolved so it’s okay. He can already return to work. He will back to full duty status so he can be utilized again by the PNP for whatever assignment that will be given to him,” he added. Marcos was able to go out of the detention facility after he and 10 of his men were granted bail after the Department of Justice downgraded his criminal case from murder to homicide on June 2. Dela Rosa emphasized the policemen were very happy with the support expressed by the president to those government forces who were just doing their job. “His policemen were happy, very happy. They have high morale that they will be supported by their commander in chief if they are doing their work,” he said. (Robina Asido/DMS)