Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II admitted that alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa was at risk of suffering the same fate as his late father, Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., because of his personal knowledge of the payoff made to his protectors.
Kerwin’s father was killed by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group inside a subprovincial jail in Leyte in a pre-dawn raid supposedly to serve a search warrant.
“Kerwin, rather than the father, has a more personal knowledge of the payoffs to politicians from the drug lords. That is why Kerwin is very material to this case. That is why I will believe there will be an attempt to take his life away,” said Aguirre.
But Aguirre chided Sen. Leila de Lima for warning Espinosa that he would suffer the same fate as his father if he would not “cooperate” with authorities.
Wild guesses
“She’s making wild guesses again. Maybe she knows something that we don’t. How does she know she is included in the affidavit?” said Aguirre.
On Sunday, De Lima warned Kerwin that he might end up dead like his father even if he cooperated with authorities.
“Don’t ever think that your ‘cooperation’ will spare you your life. Sooner or later this government is going to make sure you end up like your father,” De Lima said of Espinosa.
But Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Ronald de la Rosa twitted De Lima for predicting the possible killing of Kerwin who is now under the custody of the PNP national headquarters.
Speaking in a press conference in Camp Crame, Dela Rosa said Espinosa was under tight watch at the PNP Custodial Center to make sure nothing untoward would happen to him.
Dela Rosa made light of De Lima’s warning that Espinosa might also suffer the fate of his father.
The CIDG said Ronaldo exchanged fire with the policemen who were serving a search warrant.
“Mabuti pa siya at alam niya na mamamatay si Kerwin. Ako hindi ko alam kung mamamatay but ang alam ko we are doing our best to secure Kerwin Espinosa. Over our dead body,” Dela Rosa said.
“We are trying very hard to secure him so why should we kill him? Why do other people think that way?” Dela Rosa said.
While there were a few scalawags in the police force, he said, majority of the 160,000-strong police organization was dedicated to service.