Retired police Colonel Edilberto Leonardo corroborated the two affidavits submitted by ex-Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma during a House Quad Committee hearing that lasted well past midnight Tuesday.
The affidavits included details about a cash reward system allegedly implemented during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial war on drugs.
At the nineth House Quad Comm hearing, Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, chair of the House Committee on Human Rights, questioned Leonardo regarding his knowledge of Garma’s affidavits.
“This is my question, and this will only be answerable by yes or no. I am not going to ask for any more explanation, Col. Leonardo, after reading and listening to Col. Garma’s two affidavits… do you believe what she said – yes or no,” Abante asked in a mixture of Filipino and English.
“Yes, Mr. Chair,” Leonardo responded, affirming the accuracy of Garma’s testimonies.
In a follow-up question, Abante sought clarification on the existence of a reward system.
“Second question, also answerable by yes or no. Do you believe that there was a rewards system [for killing drug suspects]? Yes or no,” Abante asked.
“Yes, Mr. Chair,” Leonardo replied after some hesitation, further solidifying the claims made by Garma in her affidavits, which alleged the existence of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) under the previous administration.
During the session, the Quad Comm also cited demoted Police Maj. Leo Laraga in contempt for lying after he attempted to evade direct questions from Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop regarding the November 2016 raid at the Baybay City Sub-Provincial Jail.
This incident is connected to the alleged murder of Albuera town mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. inside the prison facility.
During the raid, operatives from the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group allegedly executed Espinosa and fellow inmate Raul Yap.
Just as her earlier revelations are being corroborated, Garma exposed even more details about the police reward system for killing drug suspects during the Duterte administration, while also confirming the existence of the Davao Death Squad (DDS).
Garma, a retired police Lieutenant Colonel who spent a huge part of her career with the Davao City Police, confirmed the existence of the DDS, a group long suspected of carrying out EJKs in Duterte’s hometown.
She noted that while the squad was an open secret, police officers were discouraged from discussing it.
“I became aware of the so-called ‘Davao Death Squad’ through various sources during my assignment in Davao,” Garma stated in her affidavit.
“It was common knowledge among officers that almost all station commanders had special teams designated for specific operations. Although I did not know the identities of these teams, a culture of silence prevailed among police officers in Davao regarding such matters,” she further narrated.
In her previous affidavit she read during the October 11 Quad Comm hearing, Garma directly implicated former President Duterte in orchestrating a nationwide campaign that led to the EJKs of drug suspects.
The affidavit not only exposed the alleged reward system that incentivized the killings but also detailed the roles of Duterte and his close aide, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, in overseeing and coordinating the anti-drug operations.
Garma said the cash rewards for drug-related killings ranged from P20,000 to P1 million, depending on the target.
As this developed, the Quad Comm issued show cause orders to five individuals, including Irmina Espino, a close aide of Senator Go, for failing to attend Tuesday’s hearing despite receiving formal invitations.
Espino—along with Peter Parungo, Rommel Bactat, Michael Palma, and Sanson Buenaventura—was earlier named by Garma as having played clandestine roles in the previous administration’s drug war.
Garma testified that Espino, known as “Muking” or “Moking,” played a crucial role in the drug war’s financial operations, handling transactions tied to the reward system that incentivized police officers to kill individuals on Duterte’s drug watchlist.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Leonardo validates Garma statements on drug war rewards system.”
