MANILA, Philippines – Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa issued a violent threat against Kerwin Espinosa after the convicted drug lord accused him of coercion into implicating former Senator Leila de Lima in the illegal drug trade.

In a statement, Dela Rosa vowed to physically attack Espinosa if they crossed paths, responding to Espinosa’s testimony during a House inquiry into the Duterte administration’s drug war.

“Sabihan mo siya, ‘pag makita ko siya, suntukin ko siya sa mukha, ‘tang ina niya. Gago siya, kung makapag-iistorya siya,” Dela Rosa said in an interview.

“Samantalang noon, ang bait-bait niya, no’ng nasa kustodiya namin, ang bait-bait niya, tapos ngayon, kung ano-ano nasasabi. Demonyo talaga ‘yong gago na ‘yan. Talagang drug lord talaga na gago. Sira ang ulo siya,” he added.

Dela Rosa’s tirade followed Espinosa’s claims during a hearing, where the latter accused the senator, then serving as police chief, of pressuring him to implicate businessman Peter Lim and De Lima in the drug trade. Espinosa, who was arrested in Abu Dhabi in 2016 and extradited to the Philippines, claimed that Dela Rosa and other law enforcement officials threatened him into providing false testimony.

“Isa sa sumundo sa akin ay si [Police] General Bato dela Rosa, kung saan sinabi niya sa akin na idawit ko si Peter Lim sa kalakaran ng droga sa Pilipinas. Pati na din daw si Leila de Lima para madiin,” Espinosa testified, suggesting that the directive came from higher authorities, implying that former President Duterte was aware of these orders.

Espinosa further alleged that Dela Rosa referenced his father, former Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was killed in his jail cell in 2016 under suspicious circumstances. The younger Espinosa said that fear for his own life and the safety of his family forced him to comply with the coercion.

Dela Rosa, however, vehemently denied the accusations, stating that Espinosa had voluntarily offered information during the 2016 Senate hearings. “Boluntaryo siyang nagbibigay ng mga impormasyon,” Dela Rosa said, dismissing Espinosa’s claims as lies motivated by resentment over his father’s death.

This development comes amid renewed scrutiny of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, with multiple witnesses retracting statements and implicating high-ranking officials in manipulation and intimidation tactics. Despite his fiery outburst, Dela Rosa stated that he would not attend the House investigation into the matter.

De Lima has long forgiven those who testified against her

Meanwhile, former Senator Leila de Lima, who was imprisoned in 2017 based on testimonies from Espinosa and others, has forgiven those who testified against her.

“I have already long forgiven those who testified against me, and I leave up to the Almighty to deal with them. I know that they were forced to do that because their lives and the lives of their families were at stake, as consistently mentioned by all the witnesses who eventually recanted their testimonies,” De Lima said in a statement.

However, De Lima clarified that her forgiveness does not extend to those who, she says, orchestrated the “trumped-up” cases against her, including Dela Rosa and former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Those who abused their power, including President Duterte and now Senator Bato Dela Rosa, must face accountability for, among others, manufacturing evidence against me,” De Lima said.

“It is time to make them pay for the travesties they have committed towards our justice system,” she stressed.

As the legal and political fallout continues, Dela Rosa’s public threat against Espinosa raises further questions about the conduct of top officials involved in Duterte’s controversial “war on drugs.”

📷 Sen. Bato dela Rosa, House of Representatives, Leila De Lima