Kerwin Espinosa, the son of the former Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, tearfully recounted how his father was killed by officials of the Philippine National Police on allegations that the former mayor had firearms inside his jail cell. Prior to his incarceration, Mayor Espinosa was included in the drug list of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (FPRRD) and was alleged to be a drug lord that monopolized the drug trade in Albuera, Leyte. Kerwin, who was then abroad, was allegedly told to return to the Philippines and talk to then PNP Chief Bato Dela Rosa.
At the time, Kerwin had just returned from Abu Dhabi and was facing drug-related charges. Maintaining his innocence, Kerwin admitted that he used drugs some 20 years ago, but he was never a drug lord, nor was he ever involved in the drug trade.
Kerwin, who was apprehended in Abu Dhabi in 2017 on the charges, was escorted by the then PNP chief Bato Dela Rosa personally. During the car ride with Dela Rosa, Kerwin said he was told to state that Leila De Lima was the protector of the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison during her term as the Secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ). He also said he was pressured to implicate Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim in the drug trade and that if he refused to name De Lima and Lim, he would suffer the same fate as his father.
In response to Kerwin’s accusations, Bato Dela Rosa has stated that if he sees Kerwin, he would punch the latter in the face due to his lies. Bato stated that when he visited Kerwin, they only talked about why the latter had accused the former Police Chief Jovie Espenido of accepting drug money. When asked if Bato would attend House investigations, he claimed that he would “never” attend the Quad Committee hearings.
To recall, former Iloilo Mayor Jed Mabilog had testified that FPRRD publicly declared that he was linked to drugs and threatened to get rid of him. He received a call from Bato Dela Rosa who promised him that the latter would listen to him and that Bato would talk to the then President about the accusations.
The former mayor was advised to go to Camp Crame where he and Bato could engage in discussions. However, another officer called him after his conversation with Bato and told him not to come. He was informed that would be forced to link Mar Roxas and Frank Drilon to illegal drugs in exchange for his life and safety. Fearful of what may happen to him, he fled the Philippines and remained in the United States.
The Quad Committee has shown that the public was completely blind to the truth of what was happening during the Duterte administration. Unfortunately, the Filipino people blindly believed him and his people at that time.
