President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that he wanted the reinstatement of Supt. Marvin Marcos despite facing homicide charges.
Marcos was earlier charged with murder聽in connection with the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Sr.
Duterte鈥檚 remarks came a month after the聽Department of Justice downgraded聽from murder to homicide the case against Marcos and police聽officers involved in the Espinosa killing.
搁贰础顿:听Case vs cops in Espinosa slay downgraded to homicide
Marcos and the other policemen accused were arrested in March after warrants for murder were issued against them. But the police officials were freed since homicide聽is a bailable offense.
The Philippine National Police (PNP)-Internal Affairs Service (IAS) earlier recommended the suspension of Marcos and the police involved.
鈥淓h tapos na ang suspension, sabi ko ibalik ninyo sa trabahong iyang mama na iyan. Wala naman doon iyan eh (The suspension has ended; I said, take him back to his job. He wasn鈥檛 even there),鈥� the President said in a speech during the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Camp Aguinaldo.
Duterte believed聽that Marcos was not part of the raiding team that killed Espinosa.
President Rodrigo Duterte (right) and Supt. Marvin Marcos. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
In an ambush interview, PNP Chief Dir. Gen. Ronald 鈥淏ato鈥� dela Rosa welcomed the remarks of Duterte.
鈥淵es,鈥� Dela Rosa answered when asked if he was in favor of reinstating Marcos.
The President said in his speech that he would not allow his police to go to jail for doing their job and obeying his orders.
Dela Rosa said the President鈥檚 remarks were a morale booster for the police.
鈥淗igh morale ang police and hindi ka pababayaan ng iyong Commander-in-Chief 鈥榩ag ika鈥檡 nagtatrabaho (The police have high morale and they won鈥檛 be neglected by the Commander-in-Chief if they do their job),鈥� he said.聽With a report from Winona S. Sadia, 黑料社 trainee/JE