Panfilo Lacson during a press conference in Tagbilaran City, Bohol on April 5, 2022. Photo from Lacson-Sotto media bureau
MANILA, Philippines — Former senator Panfilo Lacson admitted that he heard about the rewards system in the Duterte administration’s drug war, but no one testified that police officers get cash grants for killing drug suspects.
During the Pandesal Forum on Wednesday, Lacson was asked about retired police colonel Royina Garma’s testimony before the House of Representatives’ quad committee that former president Rodrigo Duterte contacted her about the creation of a national task force that would implement the “Davao template” on a national level.
Garma said the Davao template is a system where rewards — ranging from P20,000 to P1 million — are given to policemen depending on what kind of drug suspects they killed.
“We have heard of that during the time of former president Duterte, but no one came forward to admit or reveal details about this rewards system,” Lacson, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, said in Filipino.
According to him, cadets in the Philippine Military Academy are trained with the concept of having rewards and punishments, but it should not be used wrongly as personnel may only be motivated by a monetary reward.
“If the reward is used in the wrong manner, just like this where the primary reason for killing drug pushers or street pushers is that cops await rewards, it is bad. We might need to change the system,” he added in Filipino.
Garma also submitted an affidavit stating that there are three modes of payment — first, for every suspect killed; second for the planned operations; and third, the refund of operational expenses.
According to Garma, Duterte contacted her to find someone who would head the task force — someone from the Iglesia ni Cristo and someone who had experience. Garma said she recommended former police colonel Edilberto Leonardo, her upperclassman in the Philippine National Police Academy.
Leonardo “conducted briefings” for PNP and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency chiefs regarding the drug war, according to Garma.
“If any individual died during police operations, Leonardo reported the incident to Bong Go for inclusion in his weekly report and requests for refunds of operational expenses,” Garma said.
“Leonardo had the final authority to determine who would be included on the list of drug personalities and to classify their threat levels, as well as the discretion to remove individuals from the list,” she added.
READ: Garma says Davao drug war template, rewards system applied in entire PH
According to Lacson, if the rewards system is true, then it would explain why police officers were seemingly “competing” in terms of the number of drug suspects killed.
“As of now, there is no prevailing rewards system, aside from promoting an officer if he or she does something good. But if you are given a cash reward if you kill suspects, what happens is that you compete with the number of people killed,” he said in Filipino.
Throughout the quad committee hearings, several cases of alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) were discussed, including the killing of three Chinese nationals in 2016, supposedly carried out by two inmates tapped by police officers, and the assassination of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board secretary Wesley Barayuga in July 2021.
During the hearing on Oct. 11, Garma admitted that a police officer bragged about killing former Tanauan mayor Antonio Halili.
In the Chinese nationals’ murder case, confessed hitman Leopoldo Tan said SPO4 Arthur Narsolis, his high school classmate, supposedly relayed to him the orders to kill the Chinese nationals.
Tan said he heard Bureau of Corrections S/Supt. Gerardo Padilla talking over the phone with Duterte, who congratulated the prison officials for a job well done.
READ: Duterte ordered killing of 3 Chinese men in 2016, hitman claims
Padilla initially denied having knowledge of the hit but eventually admitted that he talked to Duterte, who also congratulated him.
READ: Duterte ordered killing of Chinese inmates, BuCor exec confirms
Regarding Barayuga’s murder, Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza testified that Garma and Leonardo masterminded the killing.
READ: Cop regrets following PNPA senior’s order to kill PCSO’s Barayuga