Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Senators were scratching heads over the testimonies of two key witnesses on Monday during the continuation of a probe into the killing of Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa.
The Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs was trying to connect the dots with statements from Ronnie Dayan and Kerwin Espinosa.
Dayan was Sen. Leila de Lima’s former driver/bodyguard/lover while Kerwin is the alleged big time drug lord in Eastern Visayas — and son of the slain Albuera town mayor.
Related: Dayan and Espinosa give conflicting details
Among the inconsistencies was the date when Dayan, Kerwin and De Lima supposedly had met in Baguio.
Dayan said it was in 2014. Kerwin said it was in 2015.
However, after verifying the date from a police official in Baguio, it turned out to be 2015 as claimed by Kerwin.
Dayan could not even tell the senators the name of the hotel in Baguio where he met with Kerwin. He said he could remember this.
Committee chair, Sen. Ping Lacson, was evidently disappointed over Dayan’s “selective memory.”
Senators also doubted Dayan’s statement that he only received money from Espinosa, and from no other drug lords.
Another inconsistency in Dayan’s testimony had to do with the date when he and De Lima — who are also former lovers — supposedly parted ways.
Dayan had previously told a House inquiry they split up in 2014. But he told senators, they split up in February 2015.
Meanwhile, Kerwin was not without his own doubtful claims.
Sen. Sonny Trillanes questioned Kerwin’s statement that he was giving money to De Lima that time for protection.
Trillanes pointed out that the period covered up to the time when De Lima was no longer secretary of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“How can she (De Lima) protect you when she was resigned from the DOJ then?” the senator asked.
“Wala po akong alam (I didn’t know that),” Kerwin said.
Espinosa also said he had met Dayan through Albuera police head Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido. Both Dayan and Espenido denied this.
Trillanes noted that it was obvious that either Dayan or Kerwin was lying — if not both of them.
For her part, De Lima said that the testimonies of Dayan, Kerwin and other witnesses had some truth and some lies.
She said Dayan knew that she didn’t really know Kerwin and vice versa.
De Lima stood firm that there was no truth to claims linking her to illegal drug trade and said the witnesses were being coached to give false statements just to pin her down.
CNN Philippines’ Cecille Lardizabal contributed to this report.
