In tears, Garma confirms Duterte offered reward for drug war killings

MANILA, Philippines – Retired police colonel Royina Garma directly implicated former president Rodrigo Duterte in the extrajudicial killings carried out by the police during his administration’s bloody anti-narcotics campaign.

In tears, Garma said that Duterte called her to a meeting in May 2016, in which she was told “he needed someone capable of implementing the war on drugs on a national scale, replicating the Davao model.”

“This ‘Davao model’ referred to the system involving payment and rewards,” Garma said in her affidavit, which she read during the eighth quad committee hearing in the House of Representatives on Friday, October 11.

Garma, the Davao City-bred former general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), said that the ‘Davao model’ involves three payment levels:

• first, the reward if the suspect is killed;
• second, the funding of planned operations;
• third, refund of operational expenses.

Garma added that she recalled her upperclassman, retired police colonel and current National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, as the perfect fit for Duterte’s request. She said she learned that Leonardo was summoned by Duterte through another cop Arthur Narsolis.

Garma said Leonardo told her that he was directed by the former president to organize a task force covering the whole Philippines.

Garma added that Leonardo also had a proposal “routed through Bong Go, outlining the task force’s operations.”

“Leonardo conducted briefings for all PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency), IG (Intelligence Groups), Regional Directors, and PNP Chiefs regarding operations. Additionally, if any individual died during police operations, Leonardo reported the incident to Bong Go for inclusion in his weekly report and requests for refunds of operational expenses,” Garma said.

“Leonardo had the final authority to determine who would be included on the list of drug personalities and to classify their threat levels, as well as the discretion to remove individuals from the list,” she added.

Garma said that in this system, some police “volunteer” if they are confident they can get “the big fish in the area.” Among these volunteers, according to her, is Police Colonel Marvin Marcos, who led the operation inside jail that killed Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa.

Garma said these volunteers who promise to deliver would get “level 1 to level 2” targets, “at sigurado pong patay (and they are sure to get them dead).”

During the interpellation with lawmakers, Garma essentially confirmed that Leonardo was a bigger fish than her. She indirectly confirmed that the Napolcom commissioner has more knowledge about the reward system, even admitting that all forms of “refunds” were processed through Leonardo.

Garma said the quota system was not part of the original instruction, but became a discretion of regional chiefs.

In a diagram provided by Garma, the “communication work flow” goes from Durterte, to Senator Bong Go, to then-assistant secretary Irmina “Moking” Espino, who was Go’s Palace aide. Garma said she would later learn that it was Espino who sends the reward money for distribution to operatives.

Pressed by Cagayan de Oro City Representative Lordan Suan, Garma said if there were no killings in the operation, the task force will only refund the operational cost. If there were killings, they will receive an incentive on top of the refund. 

Garma also casually revealed on Friday that former Tanauan, Batangas mayor Antonio Halili was killed in relation to the drug war. Halili was assassinated in broad daylight, during a flag ceremony in 2018. 

Denials

So why did Garma finally speak about the drug war?

“I made some reflections and I have to go back sa values na lagi kong sinasabi (that I always say) …. Always [tell] the truth because the truth will set you free,” she said.

As of now, Garma said she does not face any threats for executing her affidavit, but acknowledged the influence of the people she implicated in the drug war.

“Some of them are in position, they have the assets, capabilities, and influence…. Sino ba namang hindi matatakot? Which is normal po (Who would not be afraid? Which is normal).”

In the hearing, Garma claimed that she refused to be part of the task force and does not know of any specific operation where she was ordered by a higher-up to kill. She still denies an earlier accusation that she is involved in the killing of three Chinese drug lords. 

Garma also denied that the PCSO was a source of drug war reward money, as earlier claimed by former drug war poster boy Police Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido. 

‘Not coerced’

Garma’s testimony “shocked” some lawmakers, said Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales and public order and safety committee chair Dan Fernandez.

They wanted Garma to state more clearly that she was not forced by the quad committee to execute the affidavit.

“Wala pong [pumilit] (No one coerced me), it took me one week to make some reflections. I realized that the truth will always set us free,” said Garma.

Garma confirmed not only the killings in Davao City under Duterte’s leadership, but also how the president expanded these killings on a national scale.

The former cop is a retired police colonel known for her close ties with Duterte. She was also alleged to be a member of the Davao Death Squad (DDS), which supposedly took kill orders from the former Davao City mayor-turned-president.

The affidavit also corroborates parts of the testimony of self-confessed DDS hitman Arturo Lascañas, who has already been granted limited immunity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Lascañas said that the DDS was conceptualized around 1988, with the squad being named as the “anti-crime task force.” It eventually became the Presidential Anti Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) which had a satellite office in Davao City headed in 1999 by Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who was then a police officer. Garma said that Leonardo told her Duterte “directed him to organize a task force similar to the PAOCTF.”

In Lascañas’ affidavit, he lists Garma as among “the individuals directly and indirectly connected with the DDS.”

Garma and Leonardo are at the center of the House probe due to their alleged involvement in the crimes, including the killing of three Chinese drug lords in Davao in 2016. They are also implicated in the assassination of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga in 2020.

The ICC investigation is now at the stage where Prosecutor Karim Khan can already request for a warrant of arrest, if he has not already done so. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has not given any definitive policy on how the Philippines can cooperate with the ICC.

If there is no Philippine cooperation, Gabriela Representative Arlene Brosas said “we can also accuse the Marcos administration of human rights violation of victims who don’t get justice.”

Chinese drug lords, Barayuga’s killing

As the hearing approached midnight Saturday, October 12, Garma said she received information about Barayuga’s alleged involvement in illegal drugs years ago. She said she relayed this information to the authorities for verification, but maintained that she did not have any beef with the slain PCSO official. 

Garma also confirmed her knowledge about the killings of the three Chinese drug lords in the Davao prison in 2016. She confirmed a reward was given after the operation, adding that she knew about the operation after she was told by Leonardo. 

The former cop also confirmed that the former president congratulated the then-warden, Gerardo Padilla, after the operation. This supported the earlier testimonies of persons deprived of liberty tagging officials in the crime. – Rappler.com