Kerwin Espinosa (Photo from the House of Representatives media bureau) and Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. (GRIG MONTEGRANDE / INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — Controversial figure Kerwin Espinosa believes it was former president Rodrigo Duterte who ordered the hit on his father, former Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., who was killed while in detention last November 2016.
Furthermore, Kerwin believes it was also Duterte who was behind former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s directive to implicate former senator Leila de Lima as involved in the illegal drug trade.
Kerwin said this on Friday, at the House of Representatives quad committee hearing, when co-chairperson and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. asked who is behind these things.
“Ang nabanggit mo rin, kaya ginawa ‘yan sa’yo ni General Bato (dela Rosa), sapagkat ‘yon ay utos ng nakakataas sa kanya, tama ba ako?” Abante asked. “Sa palagay mo, sino ‘yong nakakataas sa kanya?”
(What you mentioned earlier, the reason why General Bato was because it was the directive of the higher-ups, am I correct? Based on your understanding, who is this higher official?)
“Ang nakakataas kay General Bato, sa palagay ko, sa aking pagka-intindi, walang iba kung hindi presidente na lang ang pinaka-mataas na pwedeng mag-utos sa kanya,” Kerwin replied.
(The one above General Bato, in my opinion, based on my understanding, is none other than the president, it is only him who could be above and direct dela Rosa.)
When asked why, Kerwin said he believes Duterte had a hand in the incidents because crooked police officers were comfortable in doing things due to the supposed lack of accountability.
“Kasi ‘yong itong mga nangyari na EJK (extrajudicial killings), kampante ang mga kapulisan maliban lang sa mga matino na pulis na nadadamay sa mga kabulastugan ng mga pulis na hindi nahihiya na gumawa ng karahasan, inabuso ang kanilang uniporme, na gumawa ng patayan dito, patayan doon, parang mga hayop na lang ang tingin nila sa mga ano, drug-related,” Kerwin said.
(Because during these EJKs, the police are relaxed except for righteous officers who are dragged into the scrupulous activities of other cops — not feeling shame in spreading brutality, abusing their uniform, killing people, treating drug-related suspects as animals.)
“Hindi nila binigyan ng pagkakataon, hindi nila binigyan ng tamang due process na pwede namang magbago ang tao kaya ngayon ang Pilipinas nakilala sa buong mundo sa maitim na background dahil sa patayan sa extrajudicial killings,” he added.
(They did not give them a chance, they were not given any due process and the chance to change. That’s why the Philippines is now known across the world with a dim background due to extrajudicial killings.)
Kerwin also said he believes that it was Duterte who ordered the killing; of his father, as the former president had vowed to eliminate those in the narco-list — a list of police officers and elected officials supposedly involved or are protectors of the illegal drug trade.
“We Filipinos, we saw on the TV that the former president said that he will kill all those in the narco-list. Based on my understanding, he is the one who ordered the killing of my Papa,” Kerwin said.
“So do you believe that the former president ordered the killing of your father?” Abante asked.
“Opo (Yes), Mr. Chair,” Kerwin replied.
Earlier, Kerwin claimed that dela Rosa ordered him to implicate de Lima as being involved in the drug trade, warning that he and members of his family would suffer the same fate as his father if he did not heed his directive.
Kerwin’s father, Espinosa Sr. was killed while in detention.
READ: Dela Rosa ordered me to implicate de Lima in drug trade – Kerwin Espinosa
Espinosa Sr., was detained in Baybay, Leyte due to illegal possession of drugs and firearms charges. He asked that he should not be taken to the Leyte sub-provincial jail in Baybay, as he feared for his life there.
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., who 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.
READ: WHAT WENT BEFORE: Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. slay
The veracity of the narco-list has been questioned several times including during the quad committee hearings. At the four panels’ hearing last September 19, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said that former Iloilo mayor Jed Mabilog was initially not on the narco-list.
Instead, PDEA Director General Moro Virgilio Lazo said that Mabilog’s name was just included later in the list produced by Duterte.
READ: PDEA confirms: Mabilog wasn’t on initial narcolist, name was just added
In discussing the killing of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board secretary Wesley Barayuga, lawmakers called out the past administration for only adding the official’s name in the narco-list after his death.
According to active Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza, two former police colonels — National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo and former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma — were behind the killing of Barayuga.
READ: Napolcom’s Leonardo, Garma tagged in killing of PCSO’s Barayuga
Mendoza said Leonardo contacted him about operating a high-value drug target in the person of Barayuga, a former police general and a member of the Philippine Military Academy Matikas Class of 1983.
According to Mendoza, he told Leonardo that he would think about the operation, but the Napolcom official said that this operation would bode well for the police officer’s career.
Mendoza said Leonardo sent him a synopsis that would show how Barayuga was supposedly involved in the illegal drug trade, but when the former said he would conduct his own study, Leonardo supposedly said that the hit already had Garma’s blessing.
Acop believes Barayuga was merely included in the narco-list to justify the hit.