Solon recommends murder raps vs. Garma, Leonardo

Royina Garma (PHOTO BY NIÑO JESUS ORBETA)

MANILA, Philippines — Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel on Friday recommended the filing of murder charges against retired police Col. Royina Garma and National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner and former police Col. Edilberto Leonardo.

 This came after police Lt. Col. Santi Mendoza told the House of Representatives quad committee during its seventh hearing that Garma and Leonardo ordered him to kill Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga for P300,000 in July 2020.

“That is why I would recommend to this committee in the committee report that we should file the necessary cases against those perpetrators when they cannot let justice not be served to the victim,” Pimentel said. 

“Ngayon po, klarong-klaro po na ang mastermind ng pagpatay kay Gen. Barayuga, walang iba po kung hindi si Col. Garma in cooperation in cahoots with Col. Leonardo based on the testimony of our two resource persons,” Pimentel added.

(It is now clear that the mastermind of the killing of Gen. Barayuga is none other than Col. Garma in cooperation, in cahoots with Col. Leonardo.)

In his sworn affidavit, Mendoza said that Leonardo contacted him in October 2019 about the plan to kill Barayuga. Leonardo also sent him a synopsis linking the late PCSO official to the illegal drugs trade.

Mendoza said that he would verify the matter but Leonardo insisted that it was unnecessary since the operation already had Garma’s blessing. He then asked a fellow police officer, Nelson Mariano, to help him carry out the hit.

Pimentel said that Garma is a “woman disguised as a meek lamb,” adding that “deep inside her, she is a ruthless killer, killing without mercy innocent people, killing without remorse innocent victims, especially in the war on drugs.”

During the sixth quad committee hearing, former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña reiterated claims that Garma used to receive P1 million per week as a “payola” for illegal gambling activities. 

Further, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto in the hearing noted similarities between Barayuga’s killing and the branding of former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog as an alleged narco-politician, saying that “the drug war of the previous administration was used to link personalities who may not be allies or may not agree with policies.”

Garma was invited by the quad committee investigatingthe war on drugs and Pogos (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) because she was tagged behind the killing of three Chinese drug lords in Davao in 2016.