Witness, PNP record support 2015 meeting of Kerwin and De Lima
Senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday questioned Ronnie Dayan, Senator Leila de Lima’s former bodyguard and alleged bagman, for having “selective memory” at the Senate inquiry looking into the killing of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr.
This developed as a relative of the late mayor and police records tended to support the claim of alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa that he met with Dayan and De Lima in Baguio in 2015.
READ: Inconsistencies seen in testimonies of Espinosa, Dayan
“Bakit napaka-selective ng memory mo? Naalala mo lang gusto mo at nakakalimutan mo lang ang gusto mo,” the senator said, while questioning Dayan’s recollection of certain places in Baguio City pertinent to the alleged meeting between confessed drug distributor Kerwin Espinosa and then-Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
“Taga Pangasinan ka, sigurado maraming beses kang nakapunta ng Baguio,” the senator told Dayan.
During the inquiry, Dayan said he could not remember the name of the hotel in Baguio City where he and De Lima stayed when they allegedly met Espinosa.
Pressed further by Lacson for landmarks to locate the hotel, Dayan answered: “Di po ako familiar sa Baguio.”
A cousin of Espinosa, Ram Espinosa, said the meeting happened in Baguio on Nov. 19, 2015, and they stayed at Hotel Alexandra. It was Ram who booked the stay of Espinosa at the hotel during the alleged meeting.
This prompted the senator to cite a case in 1950 where a witness who tried to evade the questions of senators was jailed at the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa on orders of the Senate, a move later affirmed by the Supreme Court.
“Hindi ko sinasabi na gagawin namin sa’yo pero pwede naming gawin ‘to,” Lacson told Dayan.
Dayan’s claim on when Espinosa and De Lima met in Baguio also conflicted with the statement of the alleged drug lord. The alleged bagman said the meeting took place in November 2014, while Espinosa said it happened in November of 2015.
A cousin of Espinosa, Ram Espinosa, said the meeting happened in Baguio on Nov. 19, 2015, and they stayed at Hotel Alexandra. It was Ram who booked the stay of Espinosa at the hotel during the alleged meeting.
Sr. Supt. Ramil Ladiong Saculles, acting director of the Baguio City police office, also testified that their records showed that the De Lima was in the Summer Capital on Nov. 19, 2015. CBB/rga
