Manila: A Filipino druglord has identified government officials and police officers who protected druglords in central Philippines, the complete list of which he will reveal in a senate inquiry on November 23, a lawyer said.
In his affidavit given to the police, Rolando ‘Kerwin’ Espinosa has identified elected government officials and police officers who have been protecting druglords in Visayas, central Philippines,” attorney Leilani Villarino said on Saturday.
“He narrated all he knew, including the personalities he had transactions with since the time he started operating (as a druglord) up to the time he left the Philippines (in March 2016),” said Villarino,
“He also validated the two affidavits that were executed by his daddy (Rolando Espinosa Sr, mayor of Albuera, Leyte) last October,” said Villarino.
Not willing to give more details, Villarino said the young Espinosa will submit his list of narco-politicians and narco-policemen during a senate inquiry on November 23.
“He was not under duress when he executed his affidavits (right after his arrival from Abu Dhabi on November 18). The Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (of the Philippine National Police) took a video-audio recording of the whole procedure, for transparency,” said Villarino,
“Espinosa executed the affidavits with or without the help of the government’s witness protection programme. If he qualifies to be enrolled under the programme, so much the better for him,” said Villarino.
President Rodrigo Duterte had identified the two Espinosas as druglords in charge of central Philippines. At that time, the elder Espinosa was jailed after he surrendered and admitted that his son was a druglord. But the younger Espinosa managed to escape and hide abroad.
Police officers escorted Espinosa when he arrived from Abu Dhabi on November 18. Overseas Filipino workers gave information to the Interpol and the Abu Dhabi Police which resulted in Espinosa’s arrest on October 17.
The elder Espinosa was killed in an alleged shoot-out with policemen who were to serve him a warrant of arrest in his jail in Leyte’s Baybay on November 5.
The National Bureau of Investigation and the senate are investigating the incident.
Foreign and local rights groups have criticised Duterte for his campaign against illegal drug trade which has killed more than 4,000 since July. More than half of the incidents were blamed on drug syndicates, the police said.
Illegal drug trade had reached $8.4 billion a year in the Philippines in 2013.
