Now that his father and Albuera town mayor Rolando Espinosa is dead, suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa has vowed to spill the beans on those involved in the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country.
The young Espinosa made this assurance moments after the heavily-guarded drug suspect arrived in the country yesterday from his detention in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Kerwin’s father was killed early this month after during an alleged shootout while police authorities were supposed to serve a search warrant inside the late mayor’s prison cell in Leyte.
“Ngayon ang sitwasyon ko ngayon lalo na wala na papa ko, maasahan mo lahat ng involved sa drug trade na nalalaman ko, lalabas lahat ang mga pangalan. Iyan lang po,” Espinosa said during a press briefing at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame.
Apparently, Kerwin also wants to clear things up regarding his involvement in illegal drugs and at the same time reveal their belief about the death of his father.
“That is not a shootout but a rubout. I believe that he was killed in order to silence him,” said Kerwin. “I was selling illegal drugs then but I aready stopped doing that I was involved in that but I’m not a drug lord of Eastern Visayas.”
Kerwin at the same time has asked for the forgiveness of President Duterte who since day one of his term has enforced a no let-up drive on illegal drugs.
“Ang hiling ko lang sa ating presidente ay, humihingi ako ng tawad kung ano man iyung nagawa ko dati at bigyan ako ng pagkakataon na magbagong buhay,” said Espinosa.
Espinosa meanwhile neither confirmed nor denied the involvement of Senator Leila de Lima who is the well-known target of Duterte’s drive to pin down big-named personalities supposedly involved in illegal drugs.
“I have no comment. I already told the AIDG under Col. Ferro all the information,” Espinosa said.
In the same press briefing, Dela Rosa said that he consider Espinosa the “missing link” in the illegal drugs trade especially Eastern Visayas.
“He will help connect the dots. When his father died, he told me and assured me he is willing to tell all. He is going to tell everything that he knows regarding the illegal drug trade which he is involve. He will tell who is his supplier, distributor, upline, downline, protectors. That’s how important he is to us,” Dela Rosa said.
Espinosa was fetched from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by police officials from the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG) under Police Senior Supt. Albert Ignatius D. Ferro and PNP chief Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa.
He was immediately brought to the PNP Custodial Center following his arrival in the country from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates early Friday morning.
Espinosa, who was arrested in Abu Dhabi on October 17 after an Overseas Filipino worker (OFW) based in the Middle East country informed authorities about his presence there, earlier expressed his intention to be placed under the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP) and is willing to “tell all” about the illegal drug trade.
“His request to be placed under the Witness Protection Program and he will tell all,” said Philippine Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Constancio Vingno Jr. (FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD)