Visa cancelled over ‘human rights issue’: Garma nabbed in US

CEBU, Philippines — Retired police colonel Royina Garma, a former Cebu City Police Office director who implicated former president Rodrigo Duterte in the implementation of a reward system for drug war killings, has been arrested in the United States.

While it did not say when Garma managed to leave the country, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said she and her daughter, Angelica Vilela, were arrested and detained in San Francisco, California on Nov. 7.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Garma was held in detention by the US border control because her visa has been cancelled over a "human rights issue."

"I think that is a human rights issue. That was considered by the US government in cancelling her visa. I don't know who asked for it but certainly when she was in Japan going to the US, she was informed that her visa was cancelled already," he said.

Garma previously attempted to go to the US last August but was blocked because her visa was canceled without her knowledge.

Remulla said he has ordered the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to coordinate with their US counterparts and facilitate her repatriation back to the Philippines.

He said Garma managed to slip through the country's immigration system since she still had her US visa and there was neither a hold departure order against her nor was she placed under an immigration lookout bulletin.

This is because there are no cases filed in court against her and the DOJ is still conducting case build-up on possible complaints she may face in terms of her role on the drug war killings. She also no longer has any contempt charge at the House of Representatives.

Remulla said the government intends to place Garma under its witness protection program, as she is considered a "very important witness" by the House of Representatives' quad committee, which is conducting an inquiry into extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration.

“We will offer her protection and we will make sure that she is in contact with us," he said.

The DOJ said it hopes Garma will still cooperate with the ongoing investigations on drug war killings, despite the recent lifting of her contempt order by the House quad committee.

During one of the quad committee's hearings, Garma broke her silence about the alleged killings under Duterte and narrated how he started his drug war.

She also confirmed the reward system under Duterte's anti-illegal drugs campaign, where financial rewards and funding for planned operations and reimbursement for operational expenses were provided.

She likewise confirmed that Duterte had a "death squad," or a group of men who carries his kill orders. — (FREEMAN)