De Lima eyes raps vs Bato, others

MANILA, Philippines — Following the latest admission of alleged drug dealer Kerwin Espinosa, former senator Leila de Lima is now planning to file charges against Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.

In an interview with “Storycon” on One News Friday, October 11, De Lima said they received previous information regarding Dela Rosa’s alleged involvement in the filing of drug charges against her.

“I received information that it was really then-police chief Dela Rosa who coerced certain witnesses, including Kerwin Espinosa (to implicate me)… I had no way of validating it, but these are credible information from credible sources,” De Lima said in a mix of English and Filipino.

With the revelation of Espinosa in the House of Representatives' quad committee hearing, De Lima plans to add Dela Rosa in the charges.

Testifying at the hearing of the quad committee, Espinosa accused Dela Rosa of pressuring him into implicating De Lima in illegal drugs.

He also said the former chief of the Philippine National Police also forced him to drag businessman Peter Lim into the drug trade. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Janvic Mateo