Kerwin back in jail over murder rap
TACLOBAN CITY—Mayor Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa of Albuera, Leyte, surrendered to authorities on Thursday after being informed that a Cebu City court had ordered his arrest in connection with a murder charge.
In a video message addressed to his supporters, Espinosa said he was informed at 10 a.m on Thursday about the arrest warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 14 Presiding Judge Merlo Bagano.
“I will not wait for the warrant to be served to me. I am just asking for you to pray for my safety, that nothing untoward will happen to me,” Espinosa said.
An aide told the Inquirer that at the time he was recording the video message, Espinosa was on his way to the National Bureau of Investigation-Central Visayas regional office to surrender.
Both Espinosa and his aide said they were not fully aware of the charges that resulted in the warrant’s issuance by the court, which did not set any bail.
A copy of the warrant, which was issued on Feb. 4 and obtained by the Inquirer on Thursday, showed that apart from Espinosa, Bagano also ordered the arrest of his coaccused Ronald Bulak, alias “Junjun” and “Bulak;” Eddie Mar Mitra, alias “Rico Francisco;” and Marcelo Adorco, alias “Loloy” and “Ronel.”
Adorco and Mitra surrendered along with Espinosa.
When the warrant was returned to the court by NBI personnel, Bagano had ordered that the three be committed at the Cebu City jail.
After the mandatory booking procedures and medical examination, Espinosa, Adorco and Mitra were escorted by NBI agents to their designated detention facility by 3 p.m. on Thursday.
Sister assumes office
With Espinosa’s detention for a nonbailable offense, Albuera Vice Mayor Mariel Espinosa Marinay, the mayor’s sister, assured residents that local government operations will continue uninterrupted.
Marinay, who has assumed as acting mayor of Albuera, said the delivery of basic services would not be affected, stressing that the municipal government would continue to function “decisively and without fear.”
“We know that the trials we face today are not accidental. But we will not be shaken. Truth and genuine service is what we stand for. Politically, there are those who have yet to accept defeat, but Albuera cannot be a captive of the interests of a few,” she said, referring to their family’s political opponents.
Espinosa, who had confessed to his past involvement in the illegal drug trade, is a son of the late Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. who was killed inside the Baybay City subprovincial jail on Nov. 5, 2016, in an operation conducted by the police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Authorities alleged that Espinosa Sr. attempted to shoot them while a warrant was being served.
The older Espinosa, who was tagged by then President Rodrigo Duterte as a drug lord, was arrested for drug-related charges in a raid at their house in August 2016, an operation that failed to catch his son.
But the younger Espinosa would eventually be arrested in Abu Dhabi and deported to the country in late 2016. He was released from detention in 2023 after several major cases involving illegal drugs were dismissed due to lack of evidence.
Espinosa won his first mayoral race in Albuera in May last year.
