Espenido 'confirms' Espinosa's claim on Bato's order to link de Lima to drug trade

Police Colonel Jovie Espenido on Tuesday "confirmed" that former police chief and now Senator Bato dela Rosa asked him and Kerwin Espinosa to link former Senator Leila de Lima to the illegal drug trade.

Espenido made the revelation during Tuesday’s House Quad Committee (QuadComm) investigation on drug war deaths during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte when he was being questioned by Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro.

“There's also a testimony coming from Kerwin Espinosa that you and him were instructed to talk with each other to make sure that your testimonies against Senator De Lima are consistent [linking de Lima to the illegal drug trade], do you confirm this? Yes or no?,” Luistro asked.

“I confirm, Your Honor,” Espenido said.

Luistro was referring to Espinosa’s testimony wherein he said that dela Rosa made him talk to Ronnie Dayan, De Lima's then-bodyguard, and Espenido so that they will corroborate each other's testimony in a Senate investigation on the illegal drug trade.

Back then, Espinosa claimed that he handed over P8 million of drug money to De Lima, an allegation that he has already retracted in 2022.

Luistro then pressed Espenido and asked him, “are you retracting all the testimonies that you gave against Senator de Lima during that Senate investigation [in 2016]?”

Espenido replied, “Yes, Ma'am.”

Back in December 2016,  Espenido said de Lima's photo with Espinosa in Baguio was included in the affidavit of Espinosa's father, Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa, who is detained in a Leyte jail due to alleged illegal drug possession.

The elder Espinosa was killed in jail in November 2016 with a shot to the head. 

GMA News Online has already reached out to dela Rosa for comment but he has yet to reply as of posting time. 

Dela Rosa has previously denied Espinosa's allegation and said that he would punch him for lying.

"Sabihan mo siya, 'pag makita ko siya, suntukin ko sa mukha sa kanyang kasinungalingan. 'Pag magkita kami, suntukin ko siya sa mukha. Sobrang sinungaling siya," Dela Rosa said.

(I'll punch him in the face when I see him. He is lying. When I see him, I'll punch his face. He is really lying.)

—VAL, GMA Integrated News