CCTV footage in Brgy. Tinag-an, Albuera, Leyte, shows at least five armed men after shooting Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa at April 10. The video shows some of them wearing Bando Espinosa Pundok Kausaban (BEPK) shirts—this is Espinosa's local political party.
The pictures are from the Facebook page “Maskara” and were shared on April 18. Here, the men are seen holding guns even though Espinosa is obviously wounded. Netizens are asking why his group is armed even though there is a election gun ban.
According to COMELEC Resolution No. 11067, it is prohibited to carry firearms in public places during election period, which is from January 12 to June 11, 2025. Violation of this rule may result in imprisonment (1 to 6 years), disqualification from office, and loss of voting rights.
Until now, the five men with the guns in the video have not been identified. There are also reports that Police Major Angelo Sibunga was among those wearing BEPK shirts when the 7 police officers who were persons of interest were questioned. However, in the paraffin test, all the police officers were negative for gunpowder residue.
Kerwin Espinosa is still recovering. In a Facebook Live on April 20, he said he was ready to forgive:
"I couldn't imagine forgiving before, especially since I was the one who was shot. But it's not in my mind to retaliate. I'll just pray for them."
