De Lima to Espenido: Reveal the truth about falsely implicating me

Senator Leila de Lima on Wednesday called on Ozamiz City Police Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido to reveal the "truth" about his implicating her in the drug dealings of an admitted drug lord and convicts.

In a dispatch she released as an open letter, De Lima cited news reports stating Espenido expressed concern over the recent decision of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to drop drug charges against self-confessed drug distributor Kerwin Espinosa, businessman Peter Lim, and other personalities.

"Salamat naman at nagpapakita ka ng pagkabahala sa mga kababalaghang pangyayari ngayon—ang pag-abswelto sa mga tunay na drug lords na sina Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Lim, Peter Co at iba pa," De Lima wrote.

"But you should do or say more than that. You must reveal what you know about this whole charade. You must reveal the truth about me being falsely implicated by Kerwin Espinosa, and even by yourself, to Espinosa’s drug dealings," she added.

The senator, incarcerated last February for allegedly taking bribes from imprisoned drug lords while justice secretary, pressed that Espenido was aware that the accusations against her were false.

"Diniktahan ka lang ng nakakataas sa yo na isama ako sa so-called list of alleged protectors/beneficiaries of Kerwin Espinosa. At alam mong walang katotohanan yang pagsangkot nila sakin kay Espinosa," De Lima said.

"May mga pinagsabihan ka po tungkol dito. Ang hamon ko po sayo ngayon ay sabihin nyo na rin po yan sa buong mundo. Magpakatotoo na po kayo," she added.

De Lima has repeatedly claimed that the allegations against her were cooked up to stifle her criticism of President Rodrigo Duterte.

"Don’t you get it? You and others, like Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Co and Bilibid drug convicts, are just being used as pawns in this fake and insane War on Drugs, just to satisfy a madman’s bloodlust and his vendetta against his nemesis," De Lima told Espenido.

The senator then accused the police chief of breaking the law in implicating her, and insisted on her innocence.

"You hold yourself out as a diligent and highly committed enforcer of the law, a passionate crime-buster. But law enforcers should not be law breakers. You break the law when you summarily execute human beings, irrespective of their guilt," the senator said.

"You break the law when you perjure yourself into implicating an innocent person in a wrongdoing, let alone a drug-related offense," she added.

"You also claim to be God-fearing. Where then is your conscience? Be not a servant of the devil," De Lima finished.

Earlier, the Philippine National Police stated that the junking of charges against Espinosa, Lim and others has no bearing on the detained senator's case. — BM, GMA News