Corrections official says Duterte thanked him for ‘job well done’
Former President Rodrigo Duterte was accused of ordering the killings of three suspected Chinese drug lords inside the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in 2016, former DPPF warden Supt. Gerardo Padilla said during yesterday’s House Quad Committee hearing on extrajudicial killings linked to the brutal war on drugs under the past administration.
Retired police colonel and ex-PCSO general manager Royina Garma was also accused of orchestrating the murders of the three Chinese inmates – Chu Kin Tung, alias Tony Lim; Li Lan Yan, alias Jackson Li; and Wong Meng Pin, alias Wang Ming Ping in 2016.
In his supplemental affidavit, Padilla confirmed an earlier testimony of one of the hitmen, Leopoldo “Tata” Tan Jr., that Duterte gave the order and that the former President even thanked Padilla for a job well done.
Padilla, currently the head of the Directorate for Reformation of the Bureau of Corrections in New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, said Duterte called him after Tan and Fernando “Andy” Magdadaro stabbed the three Chinese drug lords on the night of Aug. 13, 2016.
“I confirm what Tata said when we were going to the investigation section, my cell phone rang, and I answered it. The person who called me was former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and said: ‘Congratulations, Superintendent Padilla, job well done. But what was done was terrible, it was made to bleed,’” Padilla said.
“After former President Duterte called me, I told my friends, ‘The President called, he congratulated me,’” he added.
Padilla said Duterte called while he, Tan and Magdadaro, who were handcuffed, were walking to the prison’s investigation section.
Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, for his part, said at least four witnesses have identified Garma as the one directly giving instructions or coordinating the operation to eliminate the three Chinese nationals.
The witnesses include Padilla, the two self-confessed hitmen, and former policeman Jimmy Fortaleza — Garma’s classmate at the Philippine National Police Academy.
Padilla recalled that before the three Chinese inmates were murdered, Col. Edilberto Leonardo asked him to go to the Davao CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) office.
“When I arrived at the station, Col. Grma was already there. Col. Leonardo spoke to me for about 30 minutes and said, ‘We are going to kill the three Chinese who are there in the Davao Prison and Penal Farm. You just cooperate.’ While we were talking, I was promised a promotion,” Padilla said.
Garma denied the allegations linking her to the killings of the Chinese nationals as well as insinuations of her perceived “closeness” to Duterte.
However, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said: “What is very clear is that the former President had great trust in you.”
The committee then decided to cite Garma in contempt for being evasive to queries as to her close relationship with Duterte.
“That (closeness) is the perception…I do not feel that I am close (to Duterte),” Garma said.
Luistro, Taguig Rep. Amparo Maria Zamora, Deputy Speaker David Suarez, and Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop took turns in questioning Garma about her career as a PNP official and later as PCSO general manager.
Garma held several police posts in Davao City, including being the station commander of Sasa and Sta. Ana, head of Women’s Desk of the Davao City Police, and administration officer of the Davao City police station.
Zamora focused on news articles she gathered about Garma and her marital problems with her ex-husband, Roland Vilela.
The lawmaker said according to news articles, Garma even appealed to then-Mayor Duterte to retain her ex-husband in Davao City as a member of the police force.
Acop questioned how Garma could have retired from the PNP in June 2019 – with 10 years of PNP service left – days before she was appointed to the PCSO.
“This representation, I think, would also believe you decided to take optional retirement because you knew for a fact that you can get the position in the PCSO,” Acop said.
Meanwhile, the House Quad Committee on Thursday ordered the detention of Police Master Sergeant Arthur “Art” Narsolis, who was implicated in the 2016 killing of the three suspected Chinese drug lords.
Narsolis was cited in contempt for repeatedly ignoring subpoenas from the panel.
Tan specifically named Narsolis as the one who allegedly visited him in July 2016 with a proposition to kill the Chinese inmates, claiming approval from higher-ups and offering a reward of P1 million per target.
Narsolis reportedly referred to the reward as “isang manok kada ulo” (one chicken per head).
The committee also cited former Duterte presidential spokesperson Harry Roque in contempt for refusing to submit documents required by the panel.
The subpoenaed documents include business records, tax returns, and Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs), which are deemed crucial to the committee’s investigation into Roque’s alleged links to illegal POGOs.
Luistro noted the stark contrast between Roque’s modest government salary and the sudden surge in his assets, including shares in Biancham Holdings, a family-owned company.
Luistro said Biancham’s assets reportedly surged during the POGO boom from P125,000 in 2016 to P125 million in 2018.
“It is the humble submission of this representation that the Quad Committee has established overwhelming circumstantial evidence showing the connection of Atty. Harry Roque to Lucky South 99, which is a POGO operation,” Luistro said.
Lucky South 99 is an illegal POGO firm in Porac, Pampanga, raided last June, where authorities uncovered evidence of human trafficking, torture, scam farms, prostitution, a porn hub, and various other illegal activities.
Luistro said Roque’s inability to explain the sources of his wealth would bolster the evidence of his potential involvement in POGO operations.
“If he will not be able to prove the legal and valid source of this sudden increase of assets of Biancham, then there is reasonable ground to believe that, indeed, he is connected with POGO operation, and this money possibly came from the POGO operation,” she said.
However, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said: “What is very clear is that the former President had great trust in you.”
