KERWIN ESPINOSA
ALBUERA, Leyte — Self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa will reaffirm his earlier statements that Senator Leila de Lima received drug money from him through Ronnie Dayan in 2015 when he appears again during the resumption of the Senate inquiry on Dec. 5.
His second appearance would take place a day after the burial of his father, Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., who was shot dead inside his cell at the sub-provincial jail in Baybay City, Leyte on Nov. 5.
The elder Espinosa is set to be buried in the afternoon of December 4 at the Catholic cemetery in Albuera.
Leilani Villarino, one of the two lawyers of Kerwin, said her client would stand firm on what he had said during his first appearance in the Senate inquiry conducted by the committee on illegal drugs and public order chaired by Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.”
Dayan, who had claimed that he received drug money from Kerwin in 2014, is also set to appear in the same Senate inquiry.
Kerwin earlier said he gave the money to Dayan in 2015 to help bankroll the senatorial bid of De Lima, who was then the Justice Secretary.
Dayan was a former security escort and lover of the senator who has repeatedly denied receiving drug money from Kerwin nor knowing him and his late father.
In a separate interview, Vice Mayor Jonah John Ungab of Ronda town in Cebu, another legal counsel of Kerwin, denied that Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido, Albuera police chief, received drug money from Kerwin.
Ungab was reacting to a report that Director General Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, Philippine National Police chief, said Kerwin backtracked on his earlier statement that Espenido received drug money from him.
“He was just misquoted by the media. In fairness to General De la Rosa, he never said that Kerwin gave money to (Chief) Inspector Espenido,” Ungab said.
Ungab said that what Kerwin told Dela Rosa was that the money was a donation to Espenido’s Church.
Espenido is a member of the Seventh Day Adventists.
“He (Kerwin) was consistent on his affidavit and testimony that he never gave money to Espenido,” Ungab said.
Ungab also said that they hope that the security detail assigned to the Espinosa family in Albuera would continue even after the mayor’s burial.
“They need also to be protected considering that some of them also executed an affidavit,” said Ungab.
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