Barayuga slay case: PNP to evaluate procedure for compiling drug list

BARAYUGA CASE Crime scene investigators secure the pickup truck of then Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board secretary Wesley Barayuga where he was shot dead on Calbayog Street, Mandaluyong City. Photo taken on July 30, 2020. —RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines —  The Philippine National Police (PNP) will comprehensively review the process of including a person on a drug watchlist —  a document containing names of individuals with drug-related offenses.

PNP chief Gen. Rommel Marbil ordered a “comprehensive review of internal processes,” specifically how the name of retired general and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga got included in such a list.

“We are committed to thoroughly investigating the brutal murder of Gen. Barayuga, but equally important is the need to audit our internal mechanisms that may have contributed to this erroneous association,” Marbil said in a statement on Wednesday.

He likewise highlighted the need to “review and refine” PNP’s procedures for identifying individuals for crime-related lists, which extend beyond drug cases.

Marbil pointed out that individuals included in the drug or any crime-related list “should be based on solid evidence” and must “undergo a stringent validation process.”

“Our internal systems must be airtight. We need to ensure that every name on a crime-related list is supported by credible intelligence and goes through a rigorous validation process. This is essential for maintaining the integrity of the PNP and protecting the lives and reputations of those involved,” he said.

In addition, Marbil said that PNP will conduct a full review of its process to avoid similar errors in future cases.

He also sought the public’s help, encouraging those with relevant information connected to the case to come forward and cooperate with authorities.

Earlier, Marbil ordered the police force to reopen the murder case of Barayuga after Lt. Col. Santi Mendoza revealed information concerning the PCSO official’s death during the recent House quad committee hearing.

READ: Marbil orders reopening of probe into ex-PCSO Board Sec. Barayuga’s murder

Mendoza disclosed that National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo and former PCSO General Manager Royina Garma asked him to operate against Barayuga.

Based on previous reports, Barayuga was shot dead in July 2020 on his way home from the PCSO headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

Police said an unidentified assailant gunned down the lawyer on a motorcycle at the corner of Calbayog and Malinaw Streets in Barangay Highway Hills.