MANILA - A police official in Leyte accused actor and Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez on Thursday of once threatening to have him killed due to an alleged personal grudge.

Albuera police chief Insp. Jovie Espenido said his feud with Gomez started before he helped Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Sr. execute an affidavit identifying public officials who coddled the illicit dealings of his son, suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.

"Kasi sa akin naman, galit si Mayor Richard. Maski wala pa iyung affidavit ni Mayor Espinosa, talagang pinipersonal ako ni Mayor Richard," Espenido told radio DZMM.

"Nagpunta siya doon, sinabi niya na uubusin ko ang intelligence fund ko mamatay lang si Espenido. Galing iyun sa bibig niya."

(Mayor Richard has been angry with me even before the affidavit of Mayor Espinosa . He has made personal attacks against me. He once said he will use all his intelligence funds just so Espenido would die. That came from his own mouth.)

At the same time, Espenido blamed Gomez for why three trusted men of the younger Espinosa retracted their statements naming their boss' protectors.

An Inquirer report said Espinosa's alleged thugs, Galo Bobares, Max Miro and Brian Zaldivar executed new statements accusing Espenido and another a female police officer of fabricating their original affidavits.

Espenido, however, claimed the three men are being protected by Gomez. He pointed out that the new affidavits were executed before lawyer Adelito Solibaga Jr., who represented the Ormoc mayor during the May elections.

"Tingnan mo lang kung sinong kumupkop, kumuha sa kanila," the police official said.

He also insisted that the three men gave their original statements in the presence of their lawyers and were not detained afterwards.

"Lahat ng mga witness natin na nag-voluntary surrender at gawa ng salaysay sa mga payola, mayroon po talaga [na abogado]. Free sila. They are not a warranted person na masabi nating matakot sila sa pulis. They are all voluntarily na nagpunta sa istasyon dala ang baril nila, iyung tatlong kilo na shabu na dala nila," he explained.

"Kung pilitin man natin, anytime makakalabas sila kasi walang tayong hold ang pulis."

Espenido added that he understands if the witnesses retracted their statements out of fear for their lives because he could not offer them protection.

"Wala akong capacity na maghawak, magpapakain ng witnesses... Iyung takot ng mga tao hindi ko mapigilan. Kung sa akin nga, they are easy to threaten ba, magsabi na papatayin, sila pa kaya na mga civilian," he said.

Gomez has vehemently denied that he is connected to the Espinosa drug group, saying the allegation was the handiwork of his political rivals.

Richard Gomez on alleged Espinosa ties: That's ridiculous

He also filed charges Wednesday against the policemen who testified during a Senate hearing last week that his name was mentioned by Espinosa during a case conference about the politicians involved in the drug trade in Eastern Visayas.

Espinosa was killed during a pre-dawn search of his jail cell last November 5.

A sibling of Espinosa claimed that the slain mayor had confessed that his drug affidavit was ready-made and was prepared by someone else.

Atty. Lailani Villarino, Espinosa's lawyer, also noted the mayor executed the affidavit without consulting or informing her first.

Slain mayor executed affidavit without informing lawyer

Kerwin, meanwhile, may arrive Friday in Manila from Abu Dhabi where he was arrested in October. He is expected to testify at a Senate inquiry tackling the conflicting accounts on the death of his father.