TAGGED
A policeman tagged former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Officer General Manager Royina Garma and National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo as behind the killing of an official of the PCSO in July 2020.
Testifying before the House Quad Committee’s 7th hearing on the extrajudicial killing of the past administration, Police Lt. Col. Santie Fuentes Mendoza, an active member of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group, has made shocking revelations about Garma, accusing her of ordering the murder of former police general Wesley Barayuga, who was the PCSO board secretary at the time of the killing.
Mendoza told the panel that it was Leonardo who called him and ordered the assassination of Barayuga which took place on July 30, 2020.
It was revealed in the hearing that Barayuga is the one opposing the issuance of small town lottery (STL) franchise to close friends and relatives of Garma.
In the previous hearings, Garma was implicated by at least four resource persons on the killings of three suspected Chinese drug lords inside the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in 2016, at the onset of the previous administration’s bloody drug war.
Garma is allegedly close to former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Mendoza added that Leonardo sent the photo of Barayuga, a retired general, as well as the plate number of the service car.
Garma was the one who issued the car to Barayuga.
He said the plot began in October 2019 when Leonardo contacted him about a “special project” involving the elimination of Barayuga, who was allegedly involved in illegal drug activities.
CITED IN CONTEMPT
The House Quad Comm has cited Leonardo in contempt and ordered his detention at the House premises in Quezon City.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, lead chair of the Quad Comm, announced the approval of the motion of Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Stephen Joseph Paduano to cite Leonardo in contempt for “evading and lying to the joint committee.”
After Paduano’s motion was approved, Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop moved to have Leonardo detained at the House premises “until the joint committee would finish its report.”
Leonardo is a former police colonel assigned in Davao City.
Paduano asked the former police colonel about a meeting in Davao City Leonardo supposedly attended a few days before two inmates murdered three Chinese drug lords inside the Davao Penal Farm and Prison in August 2016, just two weeks after former President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office.
The drug lords were killed allegedly upon Duterte’s orders.
