Philippine National Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa revealed Tuesday Superintendent Marvin Marcos was relieved as head of the regional criminal investigation group before he led an operation which led to the death of town Mayor Roland Espinosa at the Leyte sub-provincial Jail early this month.

Marcos was reinstated by Dela Rosa after a government official asked him to rescind his relief order.

“Someone called me. I will not say who but someone called me. I am not lying but I will not tell who called me,” Dela Rosa said in an interview over ANC's Headstart.

Dela Rosa did not reveal the official who asked him except the person is someone ranked higher than him.

“When I say that it is someone higher than me, who would that be than those who are in the higher-ups,” Dela Rosa said.

Marcos, during a previous Senate probe on Espinosa's death, revealed he was removed from his post because of a case. He did not reveal the details but he was reinstated.

Dela Rosa did not reveal the nature of Marcos' possible offense which was the reason for the relief.

Dela Rosa did not regret reinstating Marcos despite Espinosa's death last November 5..

“I would regret it if I knew prior to the incident that he (Espinosa) would die. I don’t regret it, but had I known earlier that Espinosa would die in the operation I would regret it. To be honest with you, I am really not aware of that,” he said.

Marcos and 18 other officers involved in the operation which led to Espinosa and another inmate's death were relieved from their posts and placed under restrictive custody in Camp Crame. Emmanuel Tupas/DMS