Confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa runs for mayor in Leyte
TACLOBAN CITY—Self-confessed drug lord Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa is bent on seeking the mayoral seat of his late father in his hometown of Albuera in Leyte.
Espinosa, who has been released following the dismissal of drug charges against him, filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for mayor of Albuera on Oct. 1.
Espinosa is running under Bando Espinosa-Pundok Kausaban, a local party he established.
“Join me in my campaign to improve the lives of every Albueranon. Children, youth and the elderly will be given focus under my administration,” Espinosa said in a short speech before his supporters after submitting his COC at the local Commission on Elections office.
Clad in his blue campaign T-shirt, Espinosa likened himself to Marvel superhero “Batman,” who helped those “who oppress the poor.”
Albuera Mayor Sixto de la Victoria, who will not seek reelection for health reasons, has earlier said Espinosa had the right to seek the mayoralty post “unless there is a lawful order against him.”
One of Espinosa’s potential rivals is Leyte Provincial Board Member Michael Rama, a brother-in-law of Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez.
Drug haven no more
Albuera, a third-class municipality with over 47,000 residents, has a poverty incidence of around 29 percent, based on 2021 data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The town gained notoriety as the central hub of illegal drug operations in Eastern Visayas, allegedly run by the Espinosa family.
De la Victoria, however, said in June last year that the town has started “destigmatizing” from its illicit drugs notoriety, adding that only three of the town’s 16 barangays still remained affected by illegal drugs.
Kerwin’s father, Rolando Sr., was elected mayor of Albuera in May 2016 but was arrested in August that year after he was named in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s list of politicians involved in the drug trade.
Rolando Sr. admitted he and son Kerwin were manufacturing and trafficking shabu (crystal meth) from their base in Albuera. He was killed inside his cell at the subprovincial jail in Baybay City on Nov. 5, 2016 in an alleged shootout with Criminal Investigation and Detection Group operatives.
Kerwin, who was then out of the country with his family, was arrested in Dubai on Oct. 17, 2016, and was deported to Manila on Nov. 16 that year.
Upon his return and after admitting his involvement in drug activities, Espinosa implicated former senator Leila de Lima in the illicit trade. But in April 2022, he recanted his statement, claiming he was “misled by the police” into making the claim, allegedly exchange for the dropping of drug charges against him; a promise that, he said, “turned out to be false.”
In June this year, a regional trial court in Baybay City dismissed the drug case against him due to insufficient evidence.
However, he still faces money laundering charges in a Pasay City court, as well as cases for illegal possession of drug and firearms in a Manila City court. INQ
