MANILA- The death of Albuerra, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., inside his jail cell is a "slap in the face" of the country's criminal justice system, Senator Richard Gordon said on Saturday.

Gordon, who chairs the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, said the incident is alarming considering that Espinosa was still killed even though he was incarcerated.

"He was already incarcerated and nonetheless [it's] still not safe. It’s a slap in the face of the criminal justice system of our country," Gordon said in a phone interview on ANC's "Top Story."

Espinosa was shot dead inside his jail cell at Baybay City Provincial Jail, Saturday morning.

Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 8 Supt. Melvin Marcos said Espinosa fired at operatives before he was killed.

Gordon is also keen on filing a resolution so the senate can look into the rise in the number of killings in the country.

"We cannot continue with the system where there is obvious, at the very least, you could be accused of tolerance because there have been so many killings in the past and not just in this administration," Gordon said.

The senator added that the rise in the number of killings created an atmosphere of impunity since some of the killings were attributed to police.

"This has created an atmosphere of impunity on the part of many and many people think that the policemen are behind it. People need to be protected from the very protectors that are supposed to be protecting us," he said.