File murder raps vs Garma, DOJ urged

MANILA, Philippines — Prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) have been urged to act quickly and file murder charges as soon as possible against the two alleged masterminds in the July 2020 killing of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga.

Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, presiding officer of the House of Representatives quad committee, advised government prosecutors to utilize the testimonies of two whistle-blowers in the case – police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza and drug informant Nelson Mariano.

“We are in close coordination with the DOJ. They have representatives monitoring our hearings precisely because we are unearthing evidence of criminal activities and other acts of wrongdoing in the course of our inquiry,” Barbers yesterday said.

“They (prosecutors) should interview our two witnesses and assess their testimonies,” Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, added, noting that retired police colonels Royina Garma and Edilberto Leonardo were implicated in the killing of Barayuga.

Garma and Leonardo – two of the closest and most trusted aides of former president Rodrigo Duterte – were appointed as general manager of the PCSO and commissioner of the National Police Commission, respectively.

Barbers said the DOJ should already take cognizance of Mendoza’s and Mariano’s testimonies and their affidavits and file murder charges against Garma and Leonardo as soon as possible.

“They do not have to wait for the report of the joint committee, which will include a recommendation to file such charges. The panel will take time to write the report since the inquiry is still ongoing,” Barber’s suggested.

Also yesterday, the lawmaker assured Barayuga’s family that the panel would leave no stone unturned to resolve his case and put behind bars the masterminds and perpetrators of the killing four years ago.

Barbers also thanked Barayuga’s family led by his wife Sarah for trusting the quad committee’s legislative inquiry for reopening and reinvestigating the case with new witnesses who could shed light on the plot to liquidate him.

Mendoza in WPP?

Meanwhile, government prosecutors are in the process of assessing whether the policeman-whistleblower in Barayuga’s killing can be tapped as a state witness.

Barbers disclosed in a previous radio interview that Mendoza may be utilized in the Barayuga case.

“(Mendoza) seems eligible for the government’s Witness Protection Program, but it is the DOJ that is making this evaluation because there is a current prohibition insofar as government personnel are concerned,” Barbers told Anthony Taberna and Gerry Baja over radio station dzRH.

Barbers clarified, however, that there is also an “exemption” to such, most particularly if the testimony carries so much weight, and that this was revealed in a “legislative inquiry” like that of the quad comm.

“As you can see, Mendoza’s testimony is very revealing, especially because this is an admission against self-interest. That is why we see him as a very credible witness, in light of his admission, that his conscience has been bothering him for a long time,” the lawmaker said.

Garma’s order to kill Barayuga was relayed through Leonardo, according to Mendoza.

Mendoza, a former member of the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s Drug Enforcement Group, admitted that Leonardo called him for a “special operation” against Barayuga, who had been accused of being a “high-value” target in Duterte’s drug war.

Mendoza also disclosed Garma gave Leonardo P300,000 for the job, which he, in turn, gave to alleged gunman, a certain “Toks” and police corporal Mariano.

Mendoza said he received P40,000 as “part of payment” for recruiting the alleged assassins.

Review crime lists

PNP chief. Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil has ordered a review of the PNP’s procedures in identifying people for crime-related lists after Barayuga was included in Duterte’s drug watch list.

Barayuga’s name was included in the narco-list on Aug. 20, 2020 or a month after he was killed.

The revelation that Barayuga’s name was included posthumously did not sit well with Marbil, as he suspected that it was a move to cover up the former’s killing.

Marbil yesterday said he has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the internal processes that led to Barayuga’s inclusion in the narco-list, noting that he does not want a similar case to happen in the future.

“We are committed to thoroughly investigating the brutal murder of General Barayuga, but equally important is the need to audit our internal mechanisms that may have contributed to this erroneous association,” Marbil said in a statement.

The PNP chief emphasized the urgency of reviewing and refining their procedures in identifying persons for crime-related lists extending beyond drug cases.

“We must dig deeper into why General Barayuga’s name appeared on a drug list after his death. This highlights a critical need to scrutinize and overhaul our processes,” he said.

For Marbil, the inclusion of people in any crime-related list should be based on solid evidence and must undergo a stringent validation process, stressing that any flaw in the process could undermine not only the PNP, but also the public’s trust in the organization.

“This is essential for maintaining the integrity of the PNP and protecting the lives and reputations of those involved,” he said.

He added that transparency, accountability and accuracy are non-negotiable in police operations.

Marbil urged people who have information that could help solve Barayuga’s killing to come forward so that they could bring the perpetrators to justice.

Roque gets ultimatum from quadd comm

The House quad comm yesterday issued an ultimatum to former presidential spokesman Harry Roque, who has repeatedly ignored summons for him to shed light on his alleged involvement in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs).

“It’s time to surrender, you are running out of options. This is no longer the time to make any more excuses,” Sta. Rosa City, Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez, chairman of the House committee on public order and safety, warned.

Fernandez, one of the quad comm’s four co-chairmen, issued the remarks after Roque failed in his attempt to be granted a writ of amparo by the Supreme Court (SC), which he applied for to escape detention.

“He’s also running out of alibis. Attorney Roque should face the music and answer the allegations in the proper forum. The rule of law will always prevail. Roque should not be hiding himself with legalese, technicalities or writs that have no basis at all,” Fernandez said.

By rejecting the writ, the SC in effect voided Roque’s only legal recourse against the quad comm’s detention order.

Barbers made the same call, urging Roque to heed the rule of law and cooperate with the ongoing investigation, which has uncovered alarming connections between POGOs and illegal drug syndicates and extrajudicial killings.

“The quad committee is uncovering layers of criminal activities tied to POGOs, and we need full transparency from everyone involved,” Barbers said.

“If he really has nothing to hide, then why should he be afraid to face the quad comm inquiry on POGOs? The public deserves to know the truth. If he believes he is innocent, he should welcome the opportunity to clear his name in a proper legal forum. Trying to escape through technicalities only raises more suspicions,” he pointed out.

For the Mindanaoan lawmaker, the investigation is not only about POGOs, but also about “dismantling a complex web of criminality that threatens our society.”

The quad comm is investigating the links between POGOs, the proliferation of the illicit drug trade, land grabbing by certain Chinese nationals and the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) associated with the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs.

The SC decision, handed down on Oct. 1, clarified that the writ of amparo is intended for cases of EJKs or enforced disappearances, situations that do not apply in Roque’s case.

‘I’ll await SC’s decision’

“I will await the decision of the Supreme Court,” Roque said yesterday, responding to the quad comm’s ultimatum.

The former presidential spokesman has asked the high court to stop the quad comm from enforcing the arrest order it issued against him.

His daughter, Bianca Roque, earlier filed a petition for prohibition as she argued that a legislative inquiry must respect the individual rights of those invited, adding that the power of legislative inquiry must be carefully balanced with the private rights of those affected.

She also asked the SC to define the borders of the powers of Congress “where the fundamental constitutional rights of every citizen should be given primacy.” — Emmanuel Tupas, Bella Cariaso