Supt.Marvin Marcos. FILE PHOTO
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Monday urged the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate Justice Undersecretary Reynante Orceo for downgrading the charges against Supt. Marvin Marcos and his men implicated in last year鈥檚 killing of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa.
鈥淚t is very clear that officials led by Usec. Orceo colluded in order for the charges against Marcos and his men to be downgraded from murder to homicide, so that they could post bail and be freed,鈥� Drilon said in a statement.
Orceo earlier claimed that he acted on his own when he downgraded the charges against Marcos and his men from murder to homicide, and without the knowledge of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II.
鈥淭he secretary (Aguirre) doesn鈥檛 have any hand in the draft of this resolution. I personally made it. The Justice Secretary did not intervene,鈥� he said in a Senate hearing last week.
This order, Drilon said, was made in 鈥渕anifest partiality, evident bad faith and inexcusable negligence.鈥�
In the Senate inquiry last year on the killing of Espinosa, senators found that the killing was 鈥減remeditated and with abuse of authority,鈥� referring to the involved police operatives.
鈥淚 would ask the committees handling this case that the Senate stands by its finding that Mayor Espinosa was murdered and that we must recommend the filing of appropriate criminal and administrative charges against Orceo and whoever colluded with him,鈥� the former justice secretary said.
Orceo violated Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act 3019), Drilon said, which states that any government official or employee can be charged for 鈥渃ausing any undue injury to any party, including the Government in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.鈥�
The minority leader also lamented the 鈥渓ow faith鈥� of the people in the government鈥檚 justice system.
鈥淗is (Orceo) action caused undue injury to the republic and to our justice system. What they did is a mockery of our justice system,鈥� he added.- Winona Sadia, trainee