Conflicting stories: Dayan’s statement differs from Espinosa’s

(PNA photo by Ben Briones)

MANILA, Philippines—Suspected Eastern Visayas drug lord Kerwin Espinosa confirmed on Wednesday that Sen. Leila de Lima’s former bodyguard, Ronnie Dayan, acted as a middleman between the lady senator and Espinosa. However, as the suspected Eastern Visayas drug lord and former bodyguard testify against De Lima, their sides of story differ from each other.

In a testimony executed before the Philippine National Police (PNP), Espinosa stated that he was contacted by a “Juvi Espenido” who discussed a call he received from Dayan, then bodyguard of De Lima. Espenido told Espinosa that Dayan wanted to speak with the latter.

At a Senate hearing on Wednesday, Espinosa confirmed that the Espenido who led him to Dayan was Albuera police chief Senior Insp. Jovie Espenido.

However, in a testimony given before the House committee on Thursday, Dayan denied neither knowing Espenido nor soliciting his help to reach Espinosa.

“The truth is I’ve never seen the face of that Espenido,” Dayan said in Filipino.

Espinosa and Dayan also don’t agree on when the ‘transactions’ actually happened.

Dayan said Thursday that he collected drug money from Espinosa for at least five times in the months of August, October, and November 2014.

According to Dayan, four of these five transactions were held at a mall in Pasay and one in Baguio City.

However, Espinosa’s statement conflicted with Dayan’s.

While Espinosa admitted to have given money to Dayan, he told a Senate hearing yesterday that it was in August of 2015 when he first engaged with the senator’s bodyguard. Espinosa also claimed that the money he sent to De Lima through Dayan from August 2015 to February this year were used to fund De Lima’s senatorial campaign.

Even Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronaldo dela Rosa is confused of whose story to believe. In a Senate hearing yesterday, he admitted that he has doubts on Espinosa’s story, stating that it is composed of “half-truth and half lies”. He added that Dayan’s story has to be “reevaluated properly”.

“I also can’t say who is telling the truth between them,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino.

De Lima has vehemently denied receiving drug money from Espinosa.