Press Release
July 26, 2018

DOJ USING KERWIN'S TESTIMONY IN SENATE HEARING, ANOTHER VICTORY - GORDON

Senator Richard J. Gordon hailed as another victory the Department of Justice' move to use, in its new resolution, the testimonies given by self-confessed drug dealer Kerwin Espinosa during the investigation conducted by the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

Gordon, committee chairman, said he welcomed reports that in coming up with a resolution indicting Espinosa, inmate Peter Co and two others, the new panel of DOJ prosecutors has used the stenographic notes of the Senate committees on justice and human rights and public order where Espinosa confessed to being a distributor of drugs in Regions 7 and 8.

"This is another victory. Our hard work has paid off. This just shows that our investigations are getting results. Our investigations and recommendations are used as basis for filing charges or as basis for conducting further investigations," he said.

In 2016, Gordon's committee, jointly with the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, conducted an investigation into the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and drug suspect Raul Yap who were reportedly killed in a shootout inside the Baybay City Provincial Jail. Kerwin Espinosa, the late mayor's son, was called to testify during the course of the investigation.

Recently, the DOJ filed charges of violation of Republic Act 9165 or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, particularly conspiracy to commit illegal drug trade, against Espinosa, Co, Lovely Impal and Ruel Malindagan. The new panel of state prosecutors found "sufficient positive allegations" from the testimony of Marcelo Adorco against Espinosa, Co, Lovely Impal and Ruel Malindagan.

The panel also cited as basis the confession of Espinosa during a Senate inquiry that he was involved in drug trade in Regions 7 and 8.

It can be recalled that the charges filed by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detective Group against the above-named accused was earlier dismissed by a different set of prosecutors due to "weak evidence." They pointed out that there were "inconsistencies" in the testimony of Adorco.

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