Self-confessed drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa has accused former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa of directing him to link former Senator Leila de Lima and businessman Peter Lim to illegal drug activities. Espinosa made this claim during his testimony before the House of Representatives’ quad committee on Friday.
According to Espinosa, the directive came shortly after his father, former Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., was killed in 2016. He said dela Rosa himself fetched him from the airport after his father’s death, which took place on November 5, 2016, while Kerwin was in Malaysia.
Espinosa recounted how, upon his return to the Philippines on November 17, 2016, he was met by dela Rosa and other police officers. “The one who picked me up was General Bato. He put his arm over my shoulder as we went towards the vehicle, a white Land Cruiser which was bullet-proof,” Espinosa recalled.
He added that while inside the vehicle, dela Rosa instructed him to admit to his involvement in the drug trade and to implicate de Lima and Lim. Espinosa said he was warned that if he did not comply, he could face the same fate as his father, who died under controversial circumstances during a police operation.
“If I do not follow the plan, they warned me that what happened to my father can also happen to me. I was shaken at that time. I did not know what to do,” he said.
In April 2022, Espinosa recanted his previous allegations against de Lima, stating that his earlier testimony was the result of “pressure, coercion, intimidation, and serious threats” from the police. He issued a public apology to the former senator, acknowledging that his accusations were false.
De Lima, who was acquitted of her final drug-related case in June 2024, has since called on other witnesses to follow Espinosa’s lead in retracting their statements.
The circumstances surrounding the death of Espinosa’s father remain controversial. In 2016, Espinosa Sr. was arrested on charges of illegal possession of drugs and firearms but was later killed in what authorities claimed was a shootout during a search operation led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). The former mayor had expressed fears for his safety before his death, but his pleas were reportedly ignored.
