First of two parts
ROYINA Garma, retired former Philippine National Police colonel who served as chief of police in Davao City and Cebu City, and upon whose retirement was appointed by then President Rodrigo Duterte as general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), who is now being held at the detention room of the Batasang Pambansa owing to a citation of contempt by the House quad committee which is conducting an investigation on alleged extrajudicial killings during the past administration, has executed an affidavit containing allegations — that, to the public, majority of which are not schooled in law — appears to link former President Duterte to extrajudicial killings with payments and rewards.
Various media outlets, in their reportage of the Garma affidavit, made it appear that a close ally of former president Duterte had turned against him and was spilling the beans on Duterte’s drug war.
Mainstream media in deathly silence
Undiscerning citizens and gullible individuals tend to believe the slanted news foisted by most of the mainstream media, which has given prominence to the incessant false narratives and attacks against Duterte and VP Sara while maintaining a deathly silence on the people’s creeping discontent and disgust over the present administration’s failure to govern the country effectively.
These major newspapers and networks have avoided reporting the resurgence of the illegal drug trade, the increasing number of crimes, the spiraling prices of basic commodities, the low production of agricultural products, the massive corruption and incompetence committed by public officials and many other serious problems that beset the country, like lack of formal education of a sizable chunk of bourgeoning population, poverty, unemployment, inadequate social and medical services to downtrodden masses, including putting the country at risk of war by know towing to the dictates of a Western power.
Need for countervailing analysis of national issues
There is, therefore, a compelling reason to give the readers a countervailing analysis of certain explosive national issues lest the nation is deceived by the sheer magnitude of untruthful propaganda, biased reporting and dissemination of bogus information and news.
One vexing issue is the legitimacy and validity of the ongoing congressional investigations by the legislature that borders on violation of the constitutional rights of the resource persons that its committees invite in aid of legislation. The inquisitorial method by which these committees conduct the legislative inquiries has damaged reputations, invaded privacy, and subjected innocent persons to public ridicule and condemnation without due process of law. The lawmakers’ fatuous and analphabetic demeanor, not to mention the extravagant display of unexplained wealth, has vexed and outraged the people watching them.
The list of individuals ravaged and savaged by these legislative probes is growing. There will be more Bantags, Teveses, Quiboloys, Guos, Saras and Garmas who will be prey to the inquisitions.
The prominent ones have remained unbowed, notably VP Inday Sara, who has engaged the annoying and brutish lawmakers tit for tat.
There is one, however, who appears to have not survived the onslaught and is clinging desperately to escape from a prolonged, unjustified and unlawful detention.
This column refers to the embattled and beleaguered Royina Garma. After being humiliated and accused of masterminding the murder of three Chinese convicted drug lords, she read before the quad committee her sworn statement that, at first blush, links the elder Duterte to the extrajudicial killings of illegal drug suspects.
Garma’s affidavit
Pertinent portions of Garma’s affidavit are quoted here, which this writer will subject to scrutiny, to wit:
“6. In 2016, I received a call from the then-president Rodrigo Duterte at approximately 5:00 a.m., instructing me to meet him at his residence in Dona Luisa Davao.
7. xxxx
8. During our meeting, he requested that I locate a Philippine National Police (PNP) officer or operative who is a member of the Iglesia Ni Kristo, indicating that he needed someone capable of implementing the war on drugs on a national scale, replicating the Davao model. The Davao model referred to the system involving payment and rewards.
8.1. The Davao model involves three levels of payments and rewards. First is the reward if the suspect is killed. Second is the funding of planned operations (or Coplans). Third is the refund of operational expenses.
9. xxxx
10. xxxx
11. xxxx
12. A week later, I learned from Arthur Narsolis via phone call that Leonardo had been summoned by the president and was instructed to proceed to the Mandaya Hotel in Davao for a meeting.
13. Leonardo informed me that he stayed at the hotel for three days, during which the president directed him to organize a task force similar to the PAOCTF (the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force).
14. When Leonardo related this information and urged me to join the task force, I declined, citing my lack of experience in handling such operation.
15. Leonardo subsequently informed me that he had prepared a proposal, routed through Bong Go, outlining the task force’s operation, which would encompass Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
16. xxxx
17. xxxx
18. xxxx
19. xxxx
20. xxxx
22. xxxx
22.1 xxxx
22.2 xxxx rewards were only given for killings, while for arrests, only the finding of the Coplan and a refund for the expenses was given. xxxx.
23. He conveyed that the task force would be structured differently and that he submitted a document to Bong Go detailing the task force’s operation, including an overview of the current drug landscape in the Philippines.
24. I was informed that the drug structure originated from Bureau of Corrections (Bucor), where numerous drug [convicts] are currently incarcerated, and that it has three branches (Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) with Peter Lim involved in the Visayas Region.
25. Once the task force became operational, I later learned that all Coplan funds, refunds for operational, and rewards for agents were processed through the bank accounts of Peter Patungo at Metrobank, BDO and PS Bank. Concurrently, Lester Berganio maintained a comprehensive list of big personalities in the Philippines.
26. Leonardo conducted briefings for all PDEA, IG, regional directors and PNP chiefs regarding operations. xxxx.
27. Leonardo had the final authority to determine who would be included on the list of drug personalities and classify their threat levels, as well as the discretion to remove the individuals from the list.
28. Furthermore, in 2016, while I was at the CIDG following up on personnel appointments, I overheard Padilla discussing drug activities at the Davao Penal Colony with Leonardo. Padilla specifically identified certain Bucor officers involved in the drug trade, notably mentioning an officer named ‘Guinto,’ who was subsequently killed along with Bucor members.”
To be continued on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024
