Wesley Barayuga —PCSO PHOTO Royina Garma —HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) can start filing complaints against alleged masterminds behind the killing of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Barbers said the DOJ does not need to wait for the House of Representatives’ quad panel to finish its joint committee report before complaints are filed.
Barbers was referring to Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza’s testimony before the House quad committee that former PCSO general manager Royina Garma and National Police Commission Commissioner (Napolcom) Edilberto Leonardo ordered Mendoza to kill Barayuga.
“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. They should interview our two witnesses last Friday and assess their testimonies,” Barbers said.
“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,” he added.
During the quad committee hearing last September 27, Mendoza tagged Garma and Leonardo — two former police colonels — as those behind Barayuga’s killing.
READ: Napolcom’s Leonardo, Garma tagged in killing of PCSO’s Barayuga
Mendoza said Leonardo contacted him about a high-value drug target in the person of Barayuga, a former police general and a member of the Philippine Military Academy Matikas Class of 1983.
According to Mendoza, he told Leonardo that he would think about the operation, but the Napolcom official said it would bode well for Mendoza’s career.
Mendoza also said Leonardo sent him a synopsis that would show how Barayuga was supposedly involved in the illegal drug trade, but when Mendoza said he would conduct his own study, Leonardo supposedly said that the hit already had Garma’s blessing.
When they were about to carry out the attack, Mendoza said Leonardo informed them that Barayuga was inside the PCSO office in Mandaluyong City, with Garma supposedly sending a photo of the late PCSO board secretary. A P300,000 prize money was allegedly set aside for Barayuga’s killing.
Leonardo and Garma have denied Mendoza’s claims.
READ: Garma, Leonardo deny masterminding PCSO exec Barayuga’s slay
At his time to interpellate resource persons, Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel urged the quad committee to recommend the filing of murder charges against Garma and Leonardo.
READ: Solon recommends murder raps vs. Garma, Leonardo
Barbers, meanwhile, said the DOJ should ask police officer Nelson Mariano to submit the mobile phone evidence that would supposedly link Garma and Leonardo to Barayuga’s assassination.
“The exchange of messages via Viber and the supposed photo of Barayuga taken by Garma during their PCSO meeting will strengthen the case against Garma and Leonardo,” he said.
Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop, a former police general, bared that the killing of Barayuga sparked tensions between graduates of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA).
Barayuga, who was an ex-PNP general, came from the PMA Matikas Class of 1983 while Leonardo and Garma came from the PNPA Class of 1996 and 1997, respectively.
Acop believes Barayuga was killed because he opposed Garma’s plan to expand the small town lottery operation of PCSO.
On Sunday, members of the PMA Matikas Class of 1983 commended the quad committee for hearing Mendoza’s testimony that led to the identification of the alleged masterminds behind the killing of their “mistah” (batchmate) Barayuga.
READ: ‘Mistahs’ of slain ex-PCSO exec Barayuga laud quad comm probers
The PNP leadership also vowed to reopen its investigation of Barayuga’s killing, with the new details coming out just now.
READ: PNP to reopen 2020 slay case of PCSO official