2 guards tie mayor to son’s drug deals

Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. arrives at CIDG, Camp Crame. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/LYN RILLON

PALO, Leyte—Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. has been accused by two of his bodyguards of involvement in his son’s alleged illegal drugs activities.

Jose Antepuesto, 36, and Marcelino Adorco, 40, were presented at Camp Ruperto Kangleon here on Thursday, a week after their arrest during a “buy-bust” operation at the mayor’s hometown of Albuera, Leyte province.

“He is involved,” Antepuesto said, contrary to the mayor’s claim that he had nothing to do with the activities of his son, Kerwin, who is accused of being a top drug lord in Eastern Visayas. “They are not rich. They have no business except in the illegal drug.”

Espinosa, 54, showed up at the Philippine National Police headquarters and surrendered to PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa on Tuesday, beating a 24-hour deadline set by President Duterte for him and his 36-year-old son to surrender or shoot-on-sight orders would be issued against them.

The mayor denied any wrongdoing and tearfully pleaded for his son, who is at large, to surrender.

Antepuesto and Adorco were among the staff members of Mayor Espinosa who were arrested in a buy-bust operation on July 28, which yielded P1.9 million worth of “shabu”—the crystaline drug methamphetamine.

Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido told reporters that Antepuesto was a boyhood friend and trusted aide of the younger Espinosa, while Adorco was a driver and bodyguard of the mayor.

The two are now under police custody and might serve as prosecution witnesses to the charges that the police planned to file against the Espinosas, he said.

High-value targets

Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar, police director for Eastern Visayas, described Espinosa and his son as among the region’s high-value targets in the antidrug war.

Beltejar said that while Kerwin was known as a drug lord, the police could not yet ascertain the role of the father in the illegal drug trade.

“But what is certain was he benefited from this illegal drug activity of his son,” he said.

“If we will just file a case against the mayor by linking him to Kerwin, for sure this will just be dismissed. But we believe that we have witnesses who could directly link the mayor,” Beltejar said.

“We will ensure that we will have airtight cases against the mayor so these would not be dismissed,” he added.

Kerwin had been detained in several drug-related cases but these had been dismissed, purportedly because of technicalities on the spelling of his name—Rolan instead of Rolando Jr.—and alleged intervention of his police protectors.

Beltejar said that his men were preparing the filing of murder charges against Mayor Espinosa in relation to alleged politically-related killings in Albuera during the May 9 polls.

Espinosa won as an independent candidate for mayor, defeating three others, including reelectionist Mayor Ramon dela Cerna Jr. who resigned on May 19 for “health reasons,” although there were talks that it was due to security concerns.

Classes suspended

Following the gun battle in Albuera on Wednesday in which six armed men were killed in the Espinosa compound, 10 public schools were forced to suspend classes.

“The suspension will be until Friday unless the situation will not improve,” said Karen Barrel, information officer of Leyte schools division office.

The suspension, affecting 3,892 elementary pupils and 126 teachers, was upon the requests of the school heads and parents who got scared after the gun battle that ensued between police and a group of armed men.

The police said the six fatalities were members of the “liquidation squad” of the Espinosas who were ready to “eliminate” those their bosses wanted to be killed.

They were identified as Ricky Gravillo, Teresito Paderangga, two other men who were known as “Tatay,” one who was known as “Arman” and one who remained unidentified. With a report from Robert Dejon, Inquirer Visayas

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