By Rodolfo Dacleson II
(October 11, 2024) – Sen. Bato dela Rosa on Friday refuted the claims of self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa that the lawmaker ordered him to link former senator Leila de Lima and businessman Peter Lim in the drug trade.
Dela Rosa denied threatening Espinosa’s life, questioning why the latter was implicating him. Dela Rosa is tagged as the main architect of the bloody war on drugs of former president Rodrigo Duterte when he served as the chief of the Philippine National Police.
Espinosa made his allegations during the hearing of the quad committee in the House of Representatives.
“Suntukin ko siya (Espinosa) sa mukha. (Kung) makapagsalita siya, akala mo kung sinong malinis. Bakit siya gumagawa ng istorya? Samantalang ang bait-bait niya noong nasa kustodiya namin,” said Dela Rosa.
He furthered that he and Espinosa only talked once when the latter was still in jail after being brought back to the Philippines following his arrest in the United Arab Emirates in October 2016.
“Kinonfirm ko kung totoo ba ang sinabi niya (Espinosa) na tumatanggap sa kanya ng pera si (Lt. Col. Jovie) Espenido noong gabing ‘yon after ng Senate hearing,” added Dela Rosa. “Paano ko idiin si Peter Lim, anong makukuha ko doon?”
Espenido was the chief of Albuera Police in Leyte before being transferred to Misamis Occidental in December 2016. Espinosa accused Espenido of introducing him to De Lima.
Espinosa claimed that Dela Rosa threatened him that he would suffer the same fate as his slain father, Rolando Espinosa, if he did not implicate himself, De Lima, and Lim in the drug trade.
The elder Espinosa was killed in an alleged shootout with police officers at Baybay City Sub-Provincial Jail in November 2016. He and his son were included in the so-called drug list of Duterte.
Last June, Espinosa and De Lima were cleared of drug charges. Lim’s whereabouts, meanwhile, remain unknown. He went into hiding after a court in Makati ordered his arrest in August 2018.
Dela Rosa maintained that Espinosa is not a credible witness.
“Kahit na-dismiss ‘yung kaso niya, he still a drug lord,” claimed Dela Rosa.
The embattled senator added that he would never attend the probe of the quad committee.
(With reports from Maenna Los Baños-Oroceo, News5)
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