Biliran province mourns death of Ex-Gov Danny Parilla

By JUN OLIVA / PIA Biliran
September 9, 2006

NAVAL, Biliran  – Governor Rogelio Espina of this province enjoins all Biliranons Friday in mourning the untimely death of former Governor Danilo Parilla, who was shot dead Thursday in Cebu City allegedly by Eugenio Corpin.

Parilla has served Biliran province as governor from 1998-2001 and as vice governor from 1992-1998. After his defeat in the 2001 elections, he has led a quite private life with his family and business.

"He is a Biliranon who has served his people capably, and his death is a loss not only to his bereaved family but to the entire province as well," Governor Espina said.

However, Governor Espina is disheartened by a news article posted September 7, 2006 in GMANEWS.TV linking the alleged assailant Eugenio Corpirn to him as "former bodyguard of the powerful Espina clan."

Said article also reported PNP Region 7 Chief Superintendent Silverio Alarcio to have said that Corpin was a bodyguard of the Espinas who was placed on probation after being accused of participation in a robbery.

The article added that "Corpin was linked to a robbery in 2005 where he and six other supposed bodyguards of the ruling Espina political family allegedly robbed a Vietnamese couple.

"They [GMANEWS.TV] must have used a PDI article published in March 18 of last year which carried the title ‘Pol bodyguards rob couple in Biliran’, which also alleged that the robbers "were mostly identified as bodyguards of the ruling Espina political family," Governor Espina commented.

"I have since denied the allegations which were erroneous and even the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has issued a resolution strongly condemning the erroneous report and also to demand rectification from both writer Dr. Rolando Borrinaga, PDI Visayas Bureau and publisher of the paper," he stressed.

To set the facts straight involving the PDI article, the Governor issued a press release on the same day clarifying that only Eugenio Corpin was found to be connected with the provincial government, not the seven robbers as reported by PDI; and also as a security agent assigned to the capitol grounds as per records by the Administrative Department, not as jail guard assigned as bodyguard to the governor, as alleged in the same PDI report.

At the time of the robbery, Corpin’s appointment papers were still being finalized, and he was dropped from the payroll after the incident and was never connected with the provincial government or any of its officials since then.

Governor Espina is categorically refuting the GMANEWS.TV article as malicious for borrowing information from a news item which has already been found to be erroneous and not based on facts.