A day after slay try of Kerwin Espinosa
ALBUERA, Leyte– Tensions continue to escalate in this municipality as another political controversy emerged just a day after the shooting of mayoral candidate Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa.
On Friday morning, April 11, police received a report from the caretaker of the campaign headquarters of Leyte board member and mayoral candidate Vince Rama, who claimed that a glass window of their office in Barangay Poblacion was found shattered when he arrived at around 5:50 am.
The caretaker, identified only as “Edmund,” 42, a resident of Sitio Canlalin, Barangay Poblacion, requested the local police to officially record the incident at about 7:30 am.
Responding officers confirmed the window had been broken, with shards of glass scattered on the floor. A broken bottle found on the scene reportedly emitted a kerosene-like odor, prompting suspicions that a Molotov cocktail may have been used.
However, a police officer speaking on condition of anonymity cast doubt on the claim, saying there was no evidence of a wick or any sign of ignition—essential components for a Molotov bomb. “When you say Molotov, it should create fire upon impact. There was no sign of that here,” the officer said.
Despite this, Espinosa was quick to dismiss the incident as a staged act. Speaking to reporters, he accused the Rama camp of scripting the scenario to gain public sympathy following the recent backlash over reports that police officers were tagged as’ persons of interest’ in the attack against him.
“That’s scripted!” Espinosa declared, adding that the incident appeared to be a “retaliatory drama” in response to growing suspicion surrounding the involvement of certain policemen in his shooting.
The local police have yet to release an official conclusion as investigations continue. (ROBERT DEJON)
