Kerwin Espinosa willing to testify before ICC on killings

Kerwin Espinosa, who has linked to the illegal drug trade, said that he was willing to testify before the International Criminal Court (ICC) about the alleged extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. 

“One thousand percent willing po ako, hindi lang po 100, para makamit namin ang hustisya sa aking ama na pinatay sa loob ng kulungan at ginawan nila ng kwento,” he said in Mariz Umali’s report in “24 Oras” on Monday.

(I’m willing to testify 1,000%, not just 100%, so I can get justice for my father after he was killed inside the jail and for the baseless stories made up about him.)  

Espinosa earlier filed his candidacy as Albuera, Leyte mayor, a post formerly held by his father before he died inside his cell during a firefight after he was arrested for alleged illegal drug possession in 2016. 

“Ang hihilingin ko sa ating mahal na Pangulo at sa Congress na sana mabigyang hustisya ang pagkamatay ng aking magulang, at ang ICC na ang mag-imbestiga at ang bahala na mag-desisyon kung ano ang mali,” an emotional Espinosa said. 

(I’m hoping that our President and our Congress will give justice to my father and it’s up to the ICC to investigate and to decide on what’s wrong.) 

According to the lawyer Neri Colmenares, who represents the EJK victims, Espinosa could only be a material witness before the ICC if he can directly link former president Rodrigo Duterte and former Philippine National Police chief and now senator Ronald Dela Rosa to the bloody killings. 

Further, Espinosa alleged that he was pressured and threatened by Dela Rosa to admit before the Senate that he was a drug lord. He added that he was forced to do so for his family’s safety. 

“Kung kayo ang nasa kalagayan ko noong panahon na ‘yun at kayo ang nasa Senado, siguro aaminin ninyo para lang maligtas ang pamilya mo. Especially ako, iligtas ko sarili ko dahil may mga maliit pa akong anak,” he said. 

(If you were in my shoes then, you would be forced to admit it to save my family. Especially in my case, I needed to save myself because my children were still small then.)

But Dela Rosa denied Espinosa’s allegations. 

“Puro sinungaling ang pinagsasabi niya ngayon. Anong motive ko sa kanya? Bakit ko siya pe-pressurin?” he said. 

(He was telling lies. What’s my motive for him? Why would I pressure him?) 

The former top cop also said that it was Espinosa’s father who came to him to surrender. 

“Sinabi niya mismo, yung tatay niya, na yung involvement nila sa droga, inamin nila,” said Dela Rosa. “Yung tatay nagsabi na si Kerwin talaga ang nagpapatakbo ng droga sa kanila, sa Albuera, Leyte.” 

(His father told me of his involvement in illegal drugs. The father was the one who said that Kerwin was running the illegal drug trade in Albuera, Leyte.) 

Meanwhile, Duterte has yet to comment on Espinosa’s allegations. But he wished him well for his mayoral bid. 

“Kerwin, mabuhay ka. Sana manalo ka,” he said. 

(Long live, Kerwin. I hope you win.) —Vince Ferreras/NB, GMA Integrated News