NBI also reopens 2020 Barayuga murder case

BARAYUGA CASE Crime scene investigators secure the pickup 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/Inquirer file photo

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation has instructed the team that investigated the July 2020 ambush-slay of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga to revive the cold case.

Yentl Malicad, NBI deputy chief of staff for legal services, told reporters on Thursday that NBI Director Jaime Santiago instructed last week’s hearing by the quad committee of the House of Representatives, where a police officer testified that then PCSO general manager Royina Garma masterminded the killing of Barayuga.

The special House committee is looking into the links between illegal drugs, offshore gaming operations, and extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration.

“When Wesley Barayuga was killed, the NBI launched an investigation. However, we have yet to gather sufficient evidence to file a case,” Malicad said.

Mendoza bombshell

She added that the documents previously gathered will be reassessed alongside any new evidence uncovered during the new investigation.

“From there, we will check if there is sufficient evidence to file a case against those involved in the killing,” Malicad said.

Following the quad committee hearing, the Philippine National Police announced last Sunday that it would reopen its own investigation of Barayuga’s murder.

During last week’s House hearing, Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza, a member of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group, testified that between October 2019 and July 2020, National Police Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo—then chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of Davao—contacted him several times regarding a “special operation” targeting Barayuga, allegedly for his involvement in illegal drugs.

Coerced to take part

Mendoza said he understood “special operation” to mean an order to kill and was allegedly told by Leonardo that the order came from Garma.

He added that he felt coerced into taking part in the plot because he knew that Garma and Leonardo had the strong backing of then-President Rodrigo Duterte.

Garma and Leonardo, both former police colonels, were his seniors at the Philippine National Police Academy, Mendoza said.

Both of them denied Mendoza’s allegations, asserting that they had never met him before he appeared at the House hearing.

Barayuga, a former police brigadier general and lawyer, was shot to death in broad daylight on July 30, 2020, by a motorcycle-riding hitman in Mandaluyong City as he was being driven home. His driver survived the ambush.

Linked to drugs

A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1983, Barayuga’s classmates included National Security Council chief Eduardo Año.

Mendoza testified that Leonardo claimed Barayuga was involved in illegal drugs.

Barayuga’s name was included on Duterte’s “narcolist” after his death.

His PMA class issued a statement questioning the claim and offered a P1-million reward for information on his killing.

According to Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, Barayuga was about to testify in an NBI investigation regarding corruption in small-town lottery (STL) operations.

He said Barayuga was about to expose alleged illegal practices within the PCSO and was prepared with documents and evidence that would have implicated several people. “That’s why they had him killed,” Pimentel said during the hearing. “This murder wasn’t just about silencing one man; it was about protecting a web of corruption at the expense of justice and accountability.”

‘Meek lamb’ in disguise

“Col. Garma is a woman disguised as a meek lamb, but deep inside her, she is a ruthless killer, killing without mercy innocent people, killing without remorse innocent victims, especially in the war on drugs,” he added.

Mendoza further alleged that Garma, through Leonardo, provided P300,000 to finance the assassination.

To execute the plot, Mendoza said he enlisted informant Nelson Mariano, to find a hitman. The assassin was known only as Loloy.

He also implicated Garma’s personal driver and bodyguard, identified as “Toks,” as a key participant in the plot. Mendoza claimed Toks coordinated with Mariano and provided information on Barayuga’s whereabouts on the day of the murder.

Payouts

Mendoza said that Garma had assigned a service vehicle for Barayuga, which made it easier for the killer to identify and follow the PCSO official.

After the killing, Mariano said he gave P40,000 of the P300,000 to Mendoza, kept P60,000 for himself, and gave P200,000 to the gunman.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said the DOJ may ask Mendoza and Mariano for their mobile phones to see the exchange of messages supposedly via Viber and the photo of Barayuga taken by Garma during their PCSO meeting.

After the testimonies given by Mendoza and Mariano, Pimentel and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro suggested that the committee recommend the filing of charges for murder or conspiracy to commit murder against Garma and Leonardo.

Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo also said the Department of Justice (DOJ) should depose the two witnesses “so that their testimonies could be used in the future.”

Can he enter WPP?

On Monday, quad committee chair Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said that Mendoza might qualify for witness protection, potentially making him an exception to the rule against public officials entering the program.

When asked about this, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla clarified that, under the Witness Protection Program (WPP), “we’re not allowed to directly protect officers of the law.”

“That’s not included in those we can protect. Maybe indirectly we might have a way to do it, but not directly,” he said on Thursday without further elaboration.

Remulla emphasized that whistleblowers play a critical role in reopening old cases.

“There are many old cases involving murder victims from the past years that only come to light when there’s a whistleblower,” he said.

“In this case, the quad committee deserves recognition for its groundbreaking work, giving the family of Barayuga a renewed chance at justice,” he added. —with a report from Krixia Subingsubing