Albuera Mayor Kerwin Espinosa surrenders to NBI on murder warrant

ALBUERA, Leyte Mayor Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa surrendered to the Cebu office of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Thursday, following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him and four others for murder.

NBI spokesperson Palmer Mallari confirmed that Espinosa surrendered after Judge Merlo Pasco Bagano of the Cebu City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 14 issued the warrant on February 4. Espinosa’s co-accused are Ronald Bulak a.k.a. “Junjun”, Eddie Mitra a.k.a. “Rico Francisco”, Marcelo Adorco a.k.a. “Loloy”, and an alias “Ronel.” No bail was recommended for their release.

Espinosa posted on Facebook that he would face the arrest warrant and asked for prayers from his constituents in Albuera. He and his sister, Mariel, won as mayor and vice mayor of Albuera in the 2025 elections.

The Espinosas have been linked to illegal drugs in Leyte, particularly during the height of the war on drugs under former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte. In November 2016, Kerwin’s father, former mayor Ronald Sr., was killed while in detention at the Baybay City, Leyte sub-provincial jail after police claimed he attempted to shoot it out with law enforcers serving a warrant of arrest.