Alleged drug lord Rolan ‘Kerwin’ Espinosa claimed Friday that former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa pressured him in 2016 to implicate high-profile individuals, including former Sen. Leila de Lima and businessman Peter Lim in the illegal drug trade.
Espinosa made the revelation during his testimony before the House Quad Committee, where he recounted his family’s personal ordeal as victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) associated with the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs.
His father, then Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa was linked to the illegal drug trade. He was killed inside his jail cell on Nov. 5, 2016, after voluntarily surrendering to the police when former President Rodrigo Duterte warned that he would be targeted if he did not turn himself in.
Kerwin was arrested in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 17, 2016. He returned to the country thereafter and recalled how the former PNP chief and other police officers allegedly met him upon his arrival one month later at around 11:00 PM.
In his testimony, Kerwin said that after being arrested in Abu Dhabi, he was brought back to the Philippines, where Dela Rosa pressured him to implicate De Lima, Lim, and others in the drug trade.
He detailed his return on Nov. 17, 2016, recalling how the former PNP chief and other police officers met him upon his arrival at around 11:00 p.m.
“The policemen picked me up here, General Bato picked me up, he put his arm around me and led me to a car,” Kerwin said, describing how he was escorted into a white bulletproof Land Cruiser.
Once inside the vehicle, Espinosa said Dela Rosa sat in the front seat while he was sandwiched between two police officers in the back.
He said it was during this ride that Dela Rosa allegedly instructed him to admit his involvement in the country’s drug trade and to implicate both De Lima and Lim.
“He (Dela Rosa) told me to admit I was involved in the drug trend here in the Philippines and I incriminate Peter Lim and Leila de Lima, so that they will be implicated,” Kerwin said.
De Lima spent seven years in prison on drug charges but was later absolved of all accusations, which she claimed were fabricated to silence her. Meanwhile, former President Duterte identified Peter Lim as one of the country’s biggest drug dealers.
Espinosa further claimed that Dela Rosa threatened him with harm if he did not comply, warning that the same fate that befell his father could happen to him or one of his family members.
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