Loot included: Kerwin names drug protectors

CEBU, Philippines - Alleged Visayan drug lord Kerwin Espinosa named several police officers, including at least two generals, he said were the recipients of "SOP" or bribes to turn a blind eye to his illegal trade.

Among these, he said, is now Daanbantayan,   Cebu  Mayor  Vicente Loot, a retired police general who used to be deputy director for Region 8, and Chief Inspector Leo Laraga, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group officer who admitted to shooting dead Espinosa's father, the late Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Sr. early this month in what the CIDG Region 8 claims was a shootout inside his cell in the Baybay City sub-provincial jail.

Appearing before yesterday's hearing of the Senate committees on public order and illegal drugs and on justice and human rights, which are conducting a probe into the death of the late Albuera mayor, Espinosa said he began paying off policemen in Region 8 after he resumed dealing drugs in 2011, two years after he was released from the National Bilibid Prison on an earlier drug conviction.

Before beginning his testimony, Espinosa sought legislative immunity. Public order committee chairman Senator Panfilo Lacson, on the motion of Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, said the panel would seek the approval of Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III.

Laraga, said Espinosa, was the one who collected the P120,000 monthly he gave to Loot, who was deputy director for administration of Police Regional Office 8 from late 2010 to December 2012, when he was appointed director of the Training Service in Camp Crame.

However, Espinosa said, only P100,000 of this was for Loot. The balance went to Laraga.

"Maraming beses noong Deputy si General Loot sa region 8 hanggang malipat siya sa Training Center ng Camp Crame. Umabot din ng taon iyon," Espinosa said.

 Espinosa said it was allegedly Laraga who received the money on Loot's behalf, not Loot himself. He also has not met Loot during these alleged transactions.

It was allegedly Cebu City's top level drug lord, Jeffrey "Jaguar" Diaz, who advised Espinosa he had to pay Loot as an "SOP" or standard operating procedure.

 "Tumawag sa akin si Jeffrey Diaz alias Jaguar at sabi niya sa akin na mainit daw sa akin si General Loot," Espinosa told Senators yesterday during an inquiry.

"Sinabi ni Jaguar kung paano palamigin si General Loot at sinabi niya na may tatawag daw sa akin para makapagbigay kay General Loot. Noon ay tinawagan ako ng isang lalaking nagpakilalang si Chief Insp. Leo Laraga," he added.

Loot was one of the five police generals publicly named by President Rodrigo Duterte as alleged drug protectors soon after he assumed office.

In 2015, Espinosa also claimed he paid off a "General Dolina," then Region 8 police director, P6 million in three tranches in February 2015, first a check for P3 million and then checks for P2 million and P1 million in the succeeding two weeks. The payoff to Dolina was allegedly facilitated by Victor Espina.

Early into his testimony, after he had first mentioned the name Dolina, Lacson asked Espinosa for the first name of the general because there are two who share the family name, one of them named "Greg."

Although Espinosa said he could not recall the first name, news reports from the period show the Region 8 police director in 2015 was Chief Superintendent Asher Dolina.

He also named a number of Ormoc City police officers who received payoffs from him, including Senior Inspector Rio Tan and a Major Abordo, who both received P15,000 weekly. Abordo's take, however, increased until it reached as much as P80,000 monthly in 2014 when he was assigned to the Regional Special Operations Group.

Questioned by Senator Manny Pacquiao, Espinosa also said Diaz had told him one of their sources of drugs is businessman Peter Lim who reportedly sells heavy equipment. But Espinosa clarified he never met Lim in person.

While no direct identification or link was made, Cebuano businessman Peter Lim has paid President Rodrigo Duterte a visit to deny any involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Denial

Loot denied the allegations and said some policemen might just be using his name. He said he has never engaged in any transaction with Espinosa.

"We both don't know each other personally," said Loot in a statement. "Someone made a demand protection money using my name and collected at my expense," he added.

 Loot said that during his stint in Eastern Visayas, he only had three members in his staff - a driver, a PO1 secretary, and a civilian employee.

"There is no Leo Laraga assigned under me. I do not remember knowing him personally or was assigned under me."

Laraga was the leader of the team of CIDG 8 operatives that raided and killed Kerwin's father, Mayor Rolando Espinosa, at the Baybay City sub-provincial jail.

"I don't know kung kinsa na si Laraga… Wa ko kaila ana niya personally gyud kung kinsa na siya, kung unsay assignment ana niya," he said.

He added that his office was involved only in administrative or personnel matters, saying "We don't handle or supervise operations of line units involved in anti-drugs or anti criminality operations."

Loot said Espinosa's statement in the Senate hearing has "effectively refuted the earlier intel reports that accused me of being the original handler or recruiter of Kerwin Espinosa during my nargroup stint in Cebu in year 2000 and 2001."

 Loot said he is eyeing at legal means to clear his name.

 "I will start with filing of charges against those who used my name in collecting drug money," said Loot. "That when a person has the rank, position, influence and credibility, his name is easily peddled and sold to law breakers by scalawags in the service or persons with personal interests."

"This will now be the opportunity for me to clear my name as I know now where to start. I will start with filing of charges against those who used my name in collecting drug money," he said.

 "The Statement of Espinosa has clearly established the following: 1. That we both don't know each other personally 2. That there is no personal transaction between us, either by phone or in person," Loot said in a text message. 

Evidence

Police Regional Office 7 Director, Chief Superintendent Noli Taliño, said they will gather information on Espinosa's disclosures.

"Kung meron tayong makakalap nga ebidensya, i-fo-forward natin sa national headquarters kasi sila naman ang nag-co-conduct ng investigation… all the personalities na binanggit niya dito sa Cebu, sa Region 7, if there are evidences na makukuha natin, i-susubmit natin ito," he said.

As to policemen in Central Visayas allegedly protecting Espinosa in Eastern Visayas, Taliño said, "Remember, maraming police na naalias sa region 7. Hindi natin alam kung sinong gustong tukuyin ni Kerwin but probably, most of them, kasama na doon sa umalis dito sa region 7, na re-assign na," he said.

Beginnings

Espinosas said he began his involvement in narcotics as a small time dealer in 2004 in Cebu City buying 3.5 grams of methamphetamine hydrochloride or "shabu," which he would repack into several sachets of 0.8 grams that he would retail for a small profit.

However, he was arrested the next year and locked up at the Cebu Detention and Rehabilitation Center, where he met the late Jeffrey "Jaguar" Diaz, who was killed in a shootout in Metro Manila earlier this year and who he said introduced him to drug deals from behind bars. It was here, he said, where he also came to know of another major supplier, Lovely Adam Impal, who allegedly lives in Makati City, with whom Diaz dealt with.

Espinosa said he also began dealing drugs from jail, his operation growing until he could dispose of 50 grams and eventually a kilo of shabu periodically.

Jaguar's downline

Detailing his dealings from jail, Espinosa said he started as a "downline" distributor for Diaz.

"Downline ako ni Jeffrey Diaz hanggang (I was a downline of Jeffrey Diaz until) 2011," he said.

Espinosa said he would get drugs on consignment form both Diaz and Impal through their respective couriers outside jail. The drugs would then be distributed to his network in Leyte and, after giving them their share of the proceeds from sales, he would remit what he owed to Diaz through a certain Ryan Diza in Cebu City and Impal by depositing the funds to a bank account.

Espinosa was returned to the country late last week from Abu Dhabi where he had been arrested and detained early last month. — (FREEMAN)