Is this for real?
“At a Senate hearing on Thu, Nov 10, police officials accused several high-ranking government officials in Leyte, including actor Richard Gomez and former justice Vicente Veloso, have been tagged as part of the Espinosa Drug Group operating in the province,” reports ABS-CBN News.
The so-called Espinosa Drug Group was said to have been led by Kerwin Espinosa, son of Mayor Rolando Espinosa of the town of Albuera in Leyte. Kerwin was arrested in Abu Dhabi and is currently still being investigated by the authorities there.
Mayor Espinosa was killed inside the cell he was detained in at the provincial jail last Nov 5. An investigation is ongoing to probe the suspicious circumstances of his death, as cops alleged he had fought back while they were serving him a search warrant. This has prompted Senator Ping Lacson, a former police official, to tag the incident as “a case of badly written script.”
That said, Philippine National Police (PNP)-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) provincial officer Leo Laraga, disclosed that Mayor Espinosa had allegedly managed to give Albuera police the names of the government officials who supposedly served as his son’s protectors.
Aside from Gomez, who is the mayor of Ormoc City, other officials supposedly named in Mayor Espinosa’s affidavit include Leyte governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla, former justice and now Leyte 3rd District Rep. Vicente Veloso, and Baybay City Vice Mayor Michael Cari.
“That was the statement of Mayor Espinosa himself. Espinosa said those names during a conference,” Laraga alleged.
The report noted: “The Senate said the involvement of the four government officials from Leyte will be discussed separately as the probe will focus on the death of Espinosa inside his own jail cell.”
Meanwhile, Atty. Alex Avisado — counsel for Gomez and his wife, Leyte 4th District Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez — released a statement. addressing the issue.
Avisado indicated, “Mayor Richard ‘Goma’ Gomez, Cong. Lucy Torres Gomez, and Board Member Matt Torres (Lucy’s brother) have always been against drugs. They are advocates of a clean, active and healthy lifestyle. They have not and and will never get involved in drugs. They were resoundingly elected by the people of Ormoc and the 4th District of Leyte based on their solid anti-drug campaign. So, to those who are desperately trying to destroy their reputation you have been warned! Put up or shut up! We will see you in court!”
