The lawyer of former convict and self-confessed drug user Kerwin Espinosa on Wednesday lambasted Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa for allegedly making threats of physical violence against his client, who pointed him as the initiator that led to the unjust arrest of former senator Leila de Lima.

To recall, Espinosa made a bombshell testimony before the House quad committee last week, implicating Dela Rosa, who had accused De Lima of involvement in the illegal drug trade.

The lawmaker refuted Espinosa’s allegation, calling him a “liar” and threatening to punch him in the face. Dela Rosa earlier slammed the House probe, calling it a “fishing expedition” aimed at discrediting Duterte and his allies ahead of the 2025 and 2028 polls.

Espinosa’s lawyer, Raymund Palad, criticized Dela Rosa’s counterstatement, saying it is unbecoming of a sitting senator to make threats of physical harm against a witness.

Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief who spearheaded the anti-drug campaign of the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, also questioned the credibility of Espinosa to stand as a resource person in the ongoing probe at the House of Representatives.

Palad, however, deemed Dela Rosa’s statement as “conflicting” considering how the PNP, headed by him, exploited Espinosa as their witness in the Senate probe into the proliferation of drugs at the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) during De Lima’s stint as Justice secretary.

“These are the same witnesses they used to prove the illegal drug trade charges against Senator De Lima, and now that these people have recanted on the grounds that they were coerced, he’s saying they’re not credible,” Palad said in an interview.

“So, it’s like Senator Bato’s statements are conflicting. When it benefitted him, they were credible. Now that they’ve recanted, he’s saying they’re not credible,” he added.

Espinosa, who was arrested in 2016 over allegations of running the biggest drug operations in Eastern Visayas, was instrumental in the arrest of then-sitting senator De Lima by testifying at the Senate that De Lima was among his alleged protectors.

He previously alleged that De Lima was involved in the narcotics trade in the NBP when she was still Justice secretary.

However, he recanted his allegations against De Lima during the quad comm’s hearing last week, admitting that he wrongfully accused De Lima out of fear for his life.

Espinosa claimed that Dela Rosa threatened him with a fate similar to that of his father, former Albuera, Leyte, mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was shot dead in his cell in November 2016 if he would not cooperate to pin De Lima.

The father and son were both included in Duterte’s narco-list.

Aside from De Lima, Espinosa said he was also intimidated to implicate Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim, his alleged shabu supplier.