Kerwin Espinosa proclaimed mayor of Albuera
MANILA, Philippines — Self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa has been proclaimed the mayor of Albuera, Leyte on Tuesday, May 13.
He bagged a total of 10,939 votes, based on 71.79% of election returns processed.
Espinosa clinched a decisive victory over his opponents, Vince Rama and incumbent mayor Sixto dela Victoria, who received 7,081 and 2,761 votes, respectively. He was officially proclaimed winner by the board of canvassers on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, his sister, RR Espinosa, has also been proclaimed vice-mayor of Albuera.
In an interview with GMA News, Kerwin said his top priorities as mayor will be ensuring peace and order and intensifying efforts against illegal drugs.
“Ang uunahin ko, peace and order at bigyan ng solusyon ang droga dito sa Albuera. Linisin namin ang droga dito sa aming lungsod. I-zero tolerance namin ang droga,” he told GMA News interview.
(What I will prioritize first is peace and order, and providing a solution to the drug problem here in Albuera. We will clean up drugs in our city. We will have zero tolerance for drugs.)
It can be recalled that Kerwin was shot on April 10 during a campaign event in Barangay Tinag-an. He was rushed to a hospital and, fortunately, made a full recovery.
In 2016, detained former President Rodrigo Duterte publicly accused Kerwin of involvement in the Eastern Visayas illegal drug trade, implicating both him and his father, then-mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr., after a police raid near their Albuera home yielded P11 million worth of shabu.
Although Kerwin initially implicated former senator Leila de Lima in the New Bilibid Prison drug trade, he later recanted his testimony.
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