Garma grilled over hiring relatives in PCSO, starting STL party-list

MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma was questioned by a quad-committee chairperson for hiring relatives in various posts when she was in office.

At the hearing of the House of Representatives quad-committee on Friday, Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez named different personalities, including Garma’s daughter and cousins, who were hired to various posts in PCSO.

Fernandez asked why Garma’s daughter, despite having different mental ailments, was hired as a confidential agent.  In response, Garma said that her daughter was only dyslexic during that time, adding that her depression and bipolar disorder diagnosis came out after leaving PCSO.

“[You have] seven [relatives in PCSO].  And one of those is your daughter, am I correct?  You appointed her as a confidential agent.  Yes or no?” Fernandez asked, to which Garma confirmed.  “You appointed your daughter, who is sick, as a confidential agent?  And do you know the meaning of a confidential agent?  Why did you appoint your daughter if she’s sick?”

“Mr. Chair, during that time, the diagnosis issued for her was only for dyslexia; that is, actually, it does not indicate that you are mentally ill if you have dyslexia; the bipolar account only came out after she left PCSO,” Garma replied.

Fernandez then confronted Garma about the qualifications of a confidential agent — a job with requirements that the lawmaker believes Garma’s daughter did not meet.

“Do you know the qualifications of a confidential agent?  What are the qualifications of a confidential agent?  I will tell you the qualifications of a confidential agent.  One is a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.  Two, she has to have experience, previous experience in law enforcement.  Does she have experience in law enforcement, your daughter?” Fernandez asked.

“I’m not aware of that,” Garma said.

“You’re not aware?  You’re together with her for 23 years then you’re not aware if she has experience in law enforcement?  Does she have experience or none?” Fernandez asked again.

“None, Mr. Chair,” Garma replied.  “[But] she’s very competent in report-writing, Mr. Chair, in editing, in communications.”

Fernandez also noted that the following relatives of Garma were appointed to PCSO posts:

• Marie Louis C. Jurales, nurse (first cousin)
• Dorris Garma, administrative office (sister-in-law)
• Howard Manzan, consultant for information technology (first cousin, mother’s side)
• Howard Manzan’s wife, private secretary
• Police Sergeant Enecito Ubales Jr., security detailed to PCSO (first cousin)

“GM Garma, don’t you think it’s quite unethical for a general manager to put all, mga cousins, daughter, in-laws, as part of your circle in the PCSO?” Fernandez asked.

“Mr. Chair, the positions that were given to them only ang requirement lang po is trust and confidence, Mr. Chair, just like anybody in appointed [posts],” Garma replied.

STL party list

Fernandez, however, did not end his interpellation there, as he asked Garma about the STL party list — a namesake of the PCSO’s Small Town Lottery program.  The lawmaker, who heads the House committee on public order and safety, asked if it was Garma who founded the said group.

Garma answered in the affirmative.

“This is my question: when you were PCSO’s general manager, did you establish the STL party list?” Fernandez asked.

“Yes, Mr. Chair,” Garma replied.

“Did you put funds to the STL Foundation which supports the STL party list, na from the PCSO coffers?” Fernandez asked again.

“No, Mr. Chair,” she said.

However, Fernandez showed photos uploaded on Facebook indicating that PCSO placed P2 million to the STL Foundation, which backs the party list.

Furthermore, Fernandez said that Yvonne Barandog, wife of Police Lt. Col. Chuck Barandog, who was part of Garma’s security, was the party list’s first nominee.

“Let’s show this, the first fund given from PCSO — and I will be asking the official of PCSO about the donation that was given by PCSO to the STL foundation that directly benefitted the STL party list — was P2 million.  That was a party list, and your cousin Hector Marzan is the second nominee,” Fernandez said.

“She (Yvonne) is the first nominee […] of the STL Foundation that was created precisely to put the money of PCSO on that foundation, and then directly benefit the STL party list,” he added.

Fernandez then warned Garma that it is difficult to start stories with lies as she will be forced to continue with it through the end.

“Just to show it to you, GM Garma, lying, if you start with lies, you have no recourse but to tell more lies.  That’s the reason why when we have asked you to be truthful, we give you the chance, but you never grabbed it,” he said.

“That’s the reason why we told you during that time, we would look for evidence, but as a matter of fact, we did not look for evidence, it went straight to us,” he added.

Garma has been scrutinized in the quad-committee hearings because Leopoldo Tan implicated her as allegedly behind the killing of three Chinese nationals detained at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in August 2016.

Investigations into the killings eventually revealed Garma’s possible ties to other alleged extrajudicial killings, like the assassination of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga in July 2020.

Earlier, Police Lt. Col. Santi Mendoza read his sworn affidavit saying that National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo contacted him about operating a high-value drug target in the person of Barayuga.

Mendoza said he would think about the operation, but Leonardo said that this operation would bode well for the police officer’s career.

According to Mendoza, Leonardo sent him a synopsis that would show how Barayuga was supposedly involved in the illegal drug trade.  Mendoza then said that he would conduct his own study, but Leonardo supposedly said that the hit already had Garma’s blessing.

Mendoza said that he then asked a fellow police officer, Nelson Mariano, to help him carry out the hit.

READ: Cop regrets following PNPA senior’s order to kill PCSO’s Barayuga