Kerwin claims Bato forced De Lima’s implication in drugs

Bato: I’ll punch that liar in the face

MANILA, Philippines — Alleged drug dealer Kerwin Espinosa has accused Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa of pressuring him into implicating former senator Leila de Lima in illegal drugs.

Testifying at the hearing of the House of Representatives’ quad committee yesterday, Espinosa also said that Dela Rosa forced him to drag businessman Peter Lim into the drug trade.

Dela Rosa denied the claim of Espinosa.

“He is a liar. If I see him, I will punch him in the face,” an incensed Dela Rosa told “Storycon” on One News. “Who will you believe: a drug lord or a former chief PNP who is now a senator?”

Espinosa recalled that he was arrested in Abu Dhabi in October 2016 for possession of illegal firearms and explosives.

In November of the same year, he was sent back to the Philippines, where he was picked up at the airport by police, including Dela Rosa who was then head of the Philippine National Police.

“General Bato placed his arm over my shoulder and led me inside a vehicle,” Espinosa said in Filipino.

Once inside the vehicle, Espinosa claimed Dela Rosa sat in the front seat while he was sandwiched between two police officers in the back. 

“He (Dela Rosa) ordered me to implicate Peter Lim in illegal drug trade, as well as De Lima. But before than, he was pressuring me to admit that I am involved in illegal drugs,” he said.

He added that Dela Rosa threatened him with harm if he did not comply, warning that the same fate that befell his father could happen to him or one of his family members. 

“If I will not follow the plan, what happened to my father can also happen to me,” he maintained.

His father, then-Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa was killed inside his jail cell on Nov. 5, 2016. He was included in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called narco list.

Kerwin claimed it was Duterte who ordered the assassination of mayor Espinosa.

“We Filipinos saw it on TV that the former president was saying he will kill all of those in the narco list. So in my understanding, he was the one who really ordered the killing of my father,” he said.

Espinosa had apologized to De Lima for implicating her in illegal drugs while he asked Dela Rosa to change his ways.

He also revealed that he was instructed to tag Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez in the list of those involved in illegal drugs, even though he knew the accusations were baseless.

Despite immense pressure, Espinosa pointed out that he refused to falsely implicate Gomez, who was then the mayor of Ormoc City.

‘I will punch him’

The senator claimed it was the Department of Justice that built the case against De Lima and not the police.

“The PNP has nothing to do with that. The only role of the PNP is to serve the warrant,” he said.

“Why will I dictate (to him) whom should he implicate? That’s none of my business. I am the chief PNP. I am not an investigator,” said Dela Rosa.

The only time he met Espinosa, he said, was after the latter testified in the Senate about the supposed involvement of Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido in the illegal drug trade.

At the time, Dela Rosa said Espinosa admitted to him that he lied under oath in his testimony.

“Back then, he lied under oath. So right now (that) he’s also under oath before the quad comm, chances are that he’s also lying,” he pointed out.

Despite Espinosa’s claims against him, Dela Rosa said he does not plan on filing charges against him.

While he may summon Espinosa in a Senate investigation, he said it is not their priority.

“It’s embarrassing if I will hold a counter hearing at the Senate about that. The public would say that I am using my committee to clear myself. That’s self-serving,” said Dela Rosa.

He also ruled out attending the quad committee hearings where he has a standing invitation, saying the lawmakers are “clearly doing a demolition job” against him.

De Lima eyes raps vs Bato, others

Following the latest admission of Espinosa, De Lima is now planning to file charges against Dela Rosa.

In an interview with “Storycon” on One News yesterday, De Lima said they received previous information regarding Dela Rosa’s alleged involvement in the filing of drug charges against her.

“I received information that it was really then-police chief Dela Rosa who coerced certain witnesses, including Kerwin Espinosa (to implicate me)… I had no way of validating it, but these are credible information from credible sources,” De Lima said in a mix of English and Filipino.

With the revelation of Espinosa in the quad committee hearing, De Lima plans to add Dela Rosa in the charges. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Janvic Mateo