Dwayne Pelagio

Another case of the Duterte administration’s controversial war on drugs has been revealed by former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) chief and police cololen Royina Garma.

Photo Courtesy of ABS-CB News/AFP.

The former police official said on Oct. 11 during the House quad-comm hearing on extrajudicial killings (EJKs) that murders on alleged “narco-politicians,” including the assasination of Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili, were part of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s reward system for killing drug suspects.

After questions by Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez, Garma said that it was public knowledge that many high-profile killings during the administration were connected to Duterte’s drug war.

Garma revealed that a certain police “Major Albotra” boasted that he and his team killed Mayor Halili.

“They were behind the killing of Tony Halili?” Fernandez asked.

Garma replied yes.

‘Davao Model’

Duterte called Garma in May 2016, telling her to find a police officer that is a member of Iglesia ni Cristo who would lead the drug war through the “Davao model.”

The Davao model was referred to by Garma as a three-level system of rewards and payments for police officers who killed drug suspects.

First is the reward if the suspect is killed, second is the funding of planned operations, or Coplans (case operation plans), and third is the refund of operational expenses.

Garma recommended Police Lt. Col. Edilberto Leonardo - an INC member, to Duterte and also recruited Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) graduates particularly from 1996 and 1997.

According to Garma, during her tenure as a police station commander in Davao City, she and other police officers usually went to city hall to pass monthly reports of anti-drug operations that resulted in filing of cases.

In every case, they received P5,000 as “refund” for operational expenses.

The police officers can request a bigger amount if it was a major operation.

“He (Leonardo) conveyed that the task force would be structured differently and that he submitted a document to Bong Go detailing the task force’s operations, including an overview of the current drug landscape in the Philippines,” Garma said in the hearing.

Garma added that all funds, refunds for operation expenses and rewards for agents were processed through the bank accounts of a certain Peter Parungo in Metrobank, BDO and PS Bank.

Garma was accused behind the murder of PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga and Leonardo allegedly was tasked by Garma with looking for a hitman.

She was also implicated behind the killings of three drug lords who were serving time at the Davao penal farm in 2016.