📷Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa
Alleged drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa said that former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief-turned-Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa forced him to link Peter Lim and former senator Leila de Lima to illegal drugs during the Duterte administration.
During the House quad committee resumed its hearing on Friday, October 11, Espinosa recounted his family’s hardships during the previous administration as his father, former Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., was killed on November 5, 2016.
After his arrest in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in 2016, Espinosa mentioned that Dela Rosa and the local police came to pick him up upon his return to the Philippines. The former PNP chief then placed his arm over Espinosa’s shoulder as they went towards a white bullet-proof Land Cruiser.
“Isa sa sumundo sa akin ay si [Police] General Bato dela Rosa, kung saan sinabi niya sa akin na idawit ko si Peter Lim sa kalakaran ng droga sa Pilipinas. Pati na din daw si Leila de Lima para madiin. At bago pa man ‘yon, pinilit nila ako na umamin na ako ay may kinalaman sa droga,” Espinosa said.
“Sinabihan ako na isama ang pangalan no’ng mga nasabi ko dahil gusto ko na maligtas ang buhay ko. Ito ay dahil sinabihan ako na pag hindi ako sumunod, baka may mangyaring masama sa akin o baka may mangyaring masama sa pamilya ko,” Espinosa added.
Espinosa stated that Dela Rosa informed him the directive had been approved by higher authorities, implying that Duterte was aware of the operation.
He also claimed that Dela Rosa instructed him to testify in the Senate in a controlled manner and to follow their orders, warning that failure to comply would result in harm and that he would allegedly suffer the same fate as his father.
Espinosa Sr. was killed in November 2016 in an incident that the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) described as a shootout. The former mayor had been arrested in October 2016 on charges of illegal possession of drugs and firearms. He had pleaded not to be taken to the Leyte sub-provincial jail in Baybay City due to concerns for his safety, but his request was disregarded.
In April 2022, Kerwin Espinosa withdrew his accusations against de Lima, which had been a key basis for the drug-related charges filed against her.
Espinosa revealed that his claims were false and had been made under “pressure, coercion, intimidation, and serious threats” to his life and his family, coming from the police who directed him to implicate the senator in the illegal drug trade.
This revelation prompted de Lima to urge other witnesses to follow Kerwin’s example in hopes of having the supposedly fabricated charges against her dismissed. In June 2024, she was acquitted of her last outstanding drug-related case. (TCSP)
