Lim, Loot tagged
But Cebu businessman, Daanbantayan mayor spot holes in ‘script’
Daanbantayan Mayor Vicente Loot says he’ll press charges against those who “used my name in collecting drug money”
Kerwin Espinosa tells the Senate that Chief Insp. Leo Laraga—one of the officers involved in the fatal shooting of his father Mayor Roland Espinosa Sr. earlier this month—was the one who collected P120,000 a month from him, of which P100,000 was allegedly meant for Loot, who was then a police general
Businessman Peter Lim: What was Sen. Manny Pacquiao trying to do?
SELF-CONFESSED drug lord Rolando “Kerwin” Espinosa Jr. yesterday tagged Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim as the one who supplied him and alleged drug lord Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz with shabu.
During the Senate inquiry on the killing of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. yesterday, the mayor’s son also
identified retired police general and now Daanbantayan Mayor Vicente Loot as one of the police officials who received protection money from him.
He allegedly gave Loot P100,000 a month through another police officer, Chief Insp. Leo Laraga, who also received P20,000 a month.
Lim and Loot denied the claims in separate interviews.
“I don’t know Jaguar personally. I don’t even know Kerwin personally. It is unfortunate that Jaguar is already dead and a dead man tells no tale,” Lim told Sun.Star Cebu.
Jaguar was Jeffrey Diaz, allegedly the biggest drug lord in Cebu, whom Cebu-based police officers shot in an operation in Las Piñas last June. It was less than three weeks after Jaguar’s death when President Rodrigo Duterte publicly linked Lim and Loot to the illegal drug trade.
Both have repeatedly denied any involvement.
Among Espinosa’s claims was that the man who shot his father in prison, Chief Insp. Leo Laraga, regularly collected money from him (Kerwin) for Loot, who was then a police general.
He said this started in late 2011 and was meant for his protection.
“Tumawag sa akin si Jaguar, sabi sa akin mainit sa akin si Loot. Sinabi niya may tatawag sa ‘ yo para mapalamig si General Loot (Jaguar called me and said Loot seemed to be eager to track me down. Jaguar said that someone would call me to help deal with General Loot),” he said.
However, he admitted that he never met Loot nor Laraga face to face, and that they only transacted by cell phone.
Mayor Loot was watching the Senate hearing on TV when reporters called him.
Loot said that Espinosa’s statement clearly established that they didn’t know each other personally.
“This has effectively refuted the earlier intelligence reports that accused me of being the original handler or recruiter of Kerwin Espinosa during my narcotics group stint in Cebu in 2000 and 2001, which was used as the basis of the PRRD to announce my involvement in drug protection,” Loot said.
Loot recalled Espinosa’s statement that someone demanded and collected protection money using his name.
Charges
“I had only three staffers in my office at that time, a secretary with the rank of PO1 (police officer 1) and a civilian employee. I didn’t even have a security (officer). There was no Leo Laraga assigned under me. I don’t remember knowing him personally or that anyone of that name was assigned under me,” Loot said.
“My office was only involved in administration or personnel matters. We didn’t handle or supervise operations of line units involved in anti-drugs or anticriminality operations,” the mayor said.
He said he is a “victim of influence peddling by unscrupulous people,” but he will take this as an opportunity to clear his name.
“I will start with the filing of charges against those who used my name in collecting drug money,” Loot said.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson observed that Espinosa’s testimony appears to establish the motive behind the mayor’s fatal shooting.
Three policemen involved in the operation— Superintendent Marvin Marcos, then head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 8; Supt. Santi Noel G. Matira, the designated supervisor of the operation; and Laraga — were among the personalities allegedly receiving payola from Kerwin Espinosa.
‘Boss, supplier’
As for Lim, it was Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s questioning that prompted Espinosa to name the Cebu-based businessman as his alleged supplier.
“Kilala mo ba si (Do you know) Peter Lim?” Paquiao asked him.
“Narinig ko yan (I’ve heard about him), Your Honor, through ni Jaguar,” Kerwin replied.
“Is this Peter Lim the boss of Jaguar or supplier of Jaguar?” Paquiao asked.
“Boss or supplier halos pareha lang yan kasi pagboss, supplier mo talaga siya (it’s the same because if you’re a boss, it follows that you’re the supplier,” Espinosa replied.
“So, si Jaguar, and pag-kakaalam mo, doon kumuha ng droga kay Peter Lim? (So based on what you know, Jaguar gets drugs from Peter Lim)?” Paquiao asked again.
“Yes, Your Honor,” Espinosa replied.
“Ito ba ang Peter Lim na humarap kay President na taga Cebu (Is this the Peter Lim from Cebu who met with the President)?” Paquiao asked.
“Yes, kasi sabi ni Jaguar sa akin, ‘Pre, may bago tayong boss na taga dito lang sa atin sa Cebu.’ So, yung taga Cebu na Peter Lim (Yes, because Jaguar told me, ‘We have a new boss who is from here in Cebu.’ So it’s the Cebubased Peter Lim),” Espinosa answered.
On record
“Ito ba ‘yong Peter Lim na may-ari ng Hilton Trucks, Kilton Truck, iyon ba yung Peter Lim na yan (Is this the Peter Lim who owns Hilton Trucks? Is this the same Peter Lim)?” Paquiao asked.
“Yun ang sinabi ni Jaguar sa akin (That’s what Jaguar told me),” Espinosa said.
“Gusto ko lang linawin sa record na itong si Peter Lim na may negosyong heavy equipment humarap kay President at naghuhugas ng kamay. Wala raw siyang kinalaman nitong illegal drug trade (I want to put on record that this Peter Lim is the one who met with the President and denied that he is involved in the illegal drug trade),” said Pacquiao.
In an interview yesterday, Lim questioned Pacquiao’s motive for bringing his name up during the inquiry.
“What is his (Pacquiao’s) motive in dragging me into the controversy? He is a Cebuano (his father is from Pinamungajan) and we don’t know each other,” Lim asked.
He described Kerwin’s claim that he was a drug supplier as a “pure hearsay and a big lie.”
Lim said he has sensed a pattern in the way the “scripted” allegations are being raised against him, “and it seems the script has been amended again and again.”
Kerwin, Jaguar
He recalled that Chief Insp. Jovie Espinosa, chief of the Albuera, Leyte police, once told a Cebu radioman that Espinosa confessed that he (Espinosa) met Peter Lim in Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Lim had suggested to authorities to ask the Bureau of Immigration about those supposed trips and to examine his and Espinosa’s passports.
“Had they done it, that would have closed my case because I’ve never been in these places to meet Kerwin. I have never met Kerwin,” Lim said.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he was no longer surprised by the testimony of Espinosa, who mentioned some villages in the city where his illegal business thrived.
In a news conference, Osmeña said he already expected that Espinosa would name some barangays where illegal drugs are distributed, such as Barangays Pasil, Ermita, Lorega and Duljo-Fatima.
He said there are even barangay officials involved in the drug trade. Osmeña said he came across Espinosa’s name when the local police were running after alleged top drug lords in the region, including Jaguar Diaz.