DOJ asked to go after Garma, Leonardo using House witnesses

Murdered PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga (left) and retired Police Col. Royina Garma —PCSO/House of Representatives photo

MANILA, Philippines — The chair of the House quad committee urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to press charges against retired police colonels Royina Garma and Edilberto Leonardo for the killing of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga in 2020, a cold case dusted off by explosive allegations made before the panel last week.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the DOJ may now consider taking the depositions of two witnesses, Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza and Nelson Mariano, and see if their testimonies are enough to initiate the prosecution of Garma and Leonardo for murder.

“They do not have to wait for the (final) 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,” Barbers said.

READ: Napolcom’s Leonardo, Garma tagged in killing of PCSO’s 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,” he added.

‘Special operation’

Speaking under oath before the committee on Sept. 27, Mendoza and Mariano alleged that Garma, who was appointed PCSO general manager in July 2019, masterminded the ambush that killed Barayuga to prevent him from exposing corruption in the state lottery agency.

Garma allegedly coursed her directive for the “special operation” through Leonardo, then the Davao chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, to enlist the help of Mendoza for the hit job.

Mendoza said he was asked to set up the ambush for P300,000.

Both Garma and Leonardo were Mendoza’s upperclassmen at the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA).

After the testimonies, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro suggested that the committee recommend the filing of charges for murder or conspiracy to commit murder against the two former police colonels, who were perceived to be among the favorites of then-President Rodrigo Duterte.

Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo also said the DOJ may depose the two witnesses “so that their testimonies could be used in the future.”

According to Mendoza, he asked for Mariano’s help in hiring a hit man called “Loloy” and he maintained contact with Garma’s trusted aide, known only as “Toks,” regarding the plot.

Target’s photo, vehicle

Toks kept him informed about Barayuga’s movements on the day “Loloy” staged the ambush in Mandaluyong City.

Mariano said the information supplied by Toks included a photo of Barayuga—believed to be taken by Garma—and a description of the vehicle Barayuga was using.

Barbers said the DOJ may ask Mendoza and Mariano for their mobile phones to see the “exchange of messages via Viber and the supposed photo of Barayuga taken by Garma during their PCSO meeting.”

False hope

The quad committee chair also assured Barayuga’s widow, Sarah, and his family that “we will do everything to hold those behind his killing accountable.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the Barayuga family issued a statement thanking the House panel and the two witnesses for causing the reopening of the case.

“In the last four years, investigators sat out on the case and we were given false hope that something was being done. At this point, it is difficult to trust and put our hopes up,” the family said.

“This gives us comfort even while we know that we are still far from receiving justice.”

The family said they believe this was “God’s way of serving justice and clearing Wesley A. Barayuga’s name whose case was alleged to be drug-related, in a desperate attempt to cover up their tracks.”

Barayuga was killed while his driver was wounded by a lone gunman who fled on a motorbike in Mandaluyong on July 30, 2020. The case had remained unsolved.

Before his death, Barayuga, a lawyer and a 1983 graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), was supposed to see the National Bureau of Investigation about alleged corruption in the Small Town Lottery (STL) operations.

‘Life is in danger’

His PMA classmates rejected allegations that he was involved in illegal drugs and, after the ambush, offered a P1 million reward for the killer’s arrest.

On Sunday, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil announced the reopening of the Barayuga case following the quad comm testimonies.

“I already ordered the DPRM (Directorate for Personnel Records and Management) to protect (Lt. Col. Santie) Mendoza. His life is in danger and he will reveal more information,” Marbil told reporters on Monday.

After his testimony, Mendoza was placed in restrictive custody at Camp Crame and relieved of his post in the PNP Drug Enforcement Unit.