Self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa testifies before the House of Representatives’ quad committee on Friday, October 11, 2024. Espinosa says he was merely ordered by then PNP chief and now Senator Ronald dela Rosa to implicate former senator Leila de Lima as supposedly part of the illegal drug trade. (Photo from the House of Representatives media bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — Kerwin Espinosa, a self-confessed drug lord who claimed that he was just forced to implicate personalities in the drug trade, has appealed to Sen. Ronald dela Rosa to change his ways and avoid making up stories just for politicking.
At the eighth hearing of the House of Representatives quad committee held on Friday, Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro, near the end of her interpellation, asked Kerwin if he had anything to say to Dela Rosa after the resource person made scathing revelations.
Kerwin earlier claimed that dela Rosa ordered him to implicate former senator Leila de Lima as involved in the drug trade, warning that he and members of his family would suffer the same fate as his father, former Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., who was killed while in detention.
“Sir Bato dela Rosa, sana po magbago na tayo, na iwasan natin na gumagawa lang ng scenario dahil sa pulitika na masira ang isang tao kasi hindi ka-alyado natin, iwasan na po natin,” he said.
(Sir Bato dela Rosa, I hope you change your ways, let us avoid creating scenarios motivated by politics, where individuals’ reputations get destroyed just because they are not your political allies. Let’s avoid that.)
“‘Wag na nating gawin na pilitin na gumawa ng kwento para lang ma-pin down ang isang tao, ‘yon lang po ang mabigay ko kay Senator dela Rosa,” he added.
(Let us not forcefully create storylines to pin down a specific person; that’s what I can tell Senator dela Rosa.)
Kerwin also told former president Rodrigo Duterte — the sitting president when his father was killed — to validate information first and be wary about people around him trying to sway him.
“At sa ating Pangulo noon, ang ma-ano ko lang […] Mr. Duterte, sana po i-validate niyo po bawat report na marinig niyo sa inyong paligid na ganito, gan’yan, gan’yan […] i-validate niyo nang maigi para walang taong masaktan,” he noted.
(And to our former president, what I can say […] Mr. Duterte, I hope you validate each report you would hear from people around you. Validate these properly so that people would not be hurt.)
Earlier, Kerwin claimed that dela Rosa — after fetching him from the airport in November 2016 — accompanied him to a bullet-proof vehicle, and eventually ordered him to implicate Peter Lim and de Lima as involved in the drug trade.
Kerwin said this interaction between him and dela Rosa happened right after his father died.
READ: Dela Rosa ordered me to implicate de Lima in drug trade – Kerwin Espinosa
It could be remembered that last April 2022, Kerwin recanted his allegations against de Lima — testimonies which became one of the bases for the drug-related cases filed against her.
According to Kerwin, his statements against de Lima were false. They were merely the result of “pressure, coercion, intimidation, and serious threats to his life and family members from the police who instructed him to implicate the Senator into the illegal drug trade.”
“For this, undersigned apologizes to Senator De Lima,” he added.
READ: Kerwin Espinosa recants drug trade accusations vs Sen. Leila de Lima
Kerwin apologized to de Lima again during the quad committee hearing — admitting that their picture, which was used to support allegations that the former senator was involved in the drug trade, was a mere coincidence.
“Una sa lahat, humihingi ako — kung Ma’am, kung nagsubaybay ka ngayon sa hearing dito sa quad comm, patawarin niyo po ako na nadala sa o nauto-uto sa panahon na ‘yon, na idamay ka po na walang katotohanan naman at ang picture na ‘yon, nagkataon lang na pumasyal ang pamilya ko sa Baybay at nagkita tayo, at nagpa-picture ako, ‘yon ang ginawa nilang ebidensya,” he said.
(First of all, I am asking — if, Ma’am, you are monitoring this hearing of the quad comm, please forgive me if I was swayed or tricked during that time, to drag you in false accusations, and the picture was coincidental; it just so happened that my family was vacationing in Baybay and we saw each other, and I asked for a picture with you, and they used that as evidence.)
“Ma’am, sa kaloob-looban, from my heart, I ask sorry, sorry talaga po Ma’am at kung ano mang plano mo sa ginawa kong pag buhat-buhat sa droga, (handa ako kung ano po ang gagawin niyo),” he added, speaking in a mix of Filipino and Visayan.
(Ma’am, from my heart, I’m sorry, really sorry, Ma’am, and whatever plan you have after I made claims that you are involved in illegal drugs, I am prepared for whatever you may do.)
Kerwin’s father, Espinosa Sr., was killed last November 2016 while he was in his detention cell due to illegal possession of drugs and firearms charges. He asked that he not be taken to the Leyte sub-provincial jail in Baybay City, as he feared for his life there.
READ: WHAT WENT BEFORE: Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. slay
Then on November 5, 2016, under the command of Supt. Marvin Marcos, a Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) team from Eastern Visayas conducted a predawn operation to serve a search warrant on Espinosa Sr., whom was suspected of keeping a gun and crystal meth or “shabu” inside his cell.
According to the police officers, Espinosa Sr. and another inmate identified as Raul Yap fought against the CIDG team, and were eventually killed in the raid.