In a shocking turn of events, former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PSCO) General Manager Royina Garma, tells all in a tearful testimony before the eighth Quad Committee hearing on Friday, October 11.
In the former police official's four-page affidavit, she revealed that Former President Rodrigo Duterte wanted to implement the war on drugs on a national scale, adding that he wanted to replicate the Davao system.
Although apprehensive at first, after considerable reflection, Garma decided to provide comprehensive information to lawmakers on everything that she knew about the bloody campaign. The former police official had already been acquainted with Duterte having served as a Station Commander in one of the police stations in the province at the time.
Outlining the War on Drugs Structure
She recalled that in May 2016, then-President Duterte instructed her to locate a Philippine National Police (PNP) officer or operative who is capable of leading the war on drugs, replicating the Davao model.
“The Davao model involves three levels of payments or 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,” Garma said.
Garma recalled her upperclassman Edilberto Leonardo who handled the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) at the time, and recommended him to Duterte. From there, Leonardo prepared a proposal, routed through Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, outlining how operations would commence nationwide.
How the Rewards System Worked
The task force outline had an intricate process of locating and identifying the arrests and/or deaths of individuals named in the list of drug personalities. It was through this, Garma recalled, that someone would decide on what “Level” the arrest and/or killings was and its corresponding reward.
According to Garma, rewards were only given for killings, while refunds for the expenses and funding of the COPLAN were given for arrests.
When Garma visited the CIDG Office in Region 11, she saw how the operations went.
The War on Drugs Rewards System. Photo from the House of Representatives.
Leonardo had the Final Authority
Leonardo's comprehensive outline of how officials operated expanded across other sectors. According to Garma, the former had the final authority to determine who would be included on the list of drug personalities.
He was the one who had the power to classify each person's threat level, including the discretion to remove people from the list.
He conducted briefings for all PDEA, IG, Regional Directors, and PNP Chiefs concerning the operations.
“Additionally, if any individual died during police operations, Leonardo reported the incident to Bong Go for inclusion in his weekly report and requests for refunds of operational expenses,” Garma said.
Garma had an early retirement in 2019, after serving as the general manager for PSCO. She was appointed by Duterte.
