[2][3] During the regime of Ferdinand Marcos, Espina was a member of the Correspondents, Broadcasters and Reporters Association - Action News Services (COBRA-ANS), which was part of the "mosquito press" that fought against government misinformation.
[4][2] Espina went on to contribute to numerous Filipino news outlets associated with the Philippines' 'alternative press', which was noted for reporting upon human rights abuses perpetrated by the government, and was a co-founder of the NUJP, which he went on to serve as chair from 2018 until shortly before his death.
[5][6] He also became an advocate for the victims of the 2009 Ampatuan massacre, which included 32 media workers; the efforts culminated in some of the perpetrators being found guilty of murder in 2019.
[8] He was married to Leny Rojo, an architecture graduate and an active advocate for social justice, with whom he had two children, Mayumi and Dakila.
[4] The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines referred to Espina as always standing "at the frontlines of the fight against media repression harassment".