Police Colonel Jovie Espenido revealed on Tuesday that Senator Bato dela Rosa, former police chief, instructed him and confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa to link former Senator Leila de Lima to the illegal drug trade.
Espenido made this statement during a House Quad Committee (QuadComm) investigation on drug war-related deaths under former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. When asked by Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro whether he was instructed to align his testimony with Espinosa’s to implicate De Lima, Espenido confirmed the claim.
“Yes, Your Honor,” Espenido responded when Luistro asked if he was instructed to ensure their testimonies against De Lima were consistent.
This revelation follows Kerwin Espinosa’s earlier testimony, in which he alleged that dela Rosa pressured him to implicate De Lima and businessman Peter Lim in the illegal drug trade. Espinosa had initially claimed to have given ₱8 million in drug money to De Lima but retracted his accusations in 2022.
Luistro further questioned Espenido about his previous Senate testimony in 2016, asking if he was retracting it. Espenido confirmed, “Yes, Ma’am.”
The accusations against De Lima, who was imprisoned in 2017 on drug-related charges, have long been controversial. Many of her accusers, including Espinosa, have since recanted their statements.
Dela Rosa has denied these allegations, expressing anger toward Espinosa and vowing to confront him over what he calls lies. He has not yet commented on Espenido’s statements.