Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office General Manager Royina Garma —PHOTO BY NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — House Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre is expecting more drug war revelations from retired police colonel Royina Garma.
“Her testimonies lay bare what many have feared: The so-called war on drugs wasn’t just a campaign against crime—it was a state-sanctioned bloodbath,” he said on Sunday.
“The details we are hearing are appalling, and it is clear that this wasn’t an anti-drug campaign—it was a systematic execution plan with rewards for killings,” he added.
During the previous hearing of House quad committee, Garma alleged that Duterte and other high-ranking officials during his administration sanctioned covert operations replicating the Davao City model of extrajudicial killings on a national scale.
Garma also revealed how extrajudicial killings were incentivized, and Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go’s alleged involvement in these operations.
“These revelations are shocking, but unfortunately, they aren’t surprising. The Duterte administration was known for its violent rhetoric, but we are now seeing how deeply entrenched this violence was in the institutions themselves,” Acidre said.
“Garma’s testimony doesn’t just implicate rogue officers—it implicates the highest levels of government, including Duterte and Go,” he added.
The next House quad committee hearing is scheduled for October 22. Duterte was invited.
In a news segment on Sonshine Media Network International, Duterte said he would be “happy” to appear before the “upper and the lower houses of Congress.”
“And because there are many persons already called or about to be called, baka may ibang tao pa mag-ano (other people might be)… It’s all about me, edi ako na lang (then it’s better if it’s just me). Bakit pa yung ibang tao? Ako na mismo ang tawagin nila (Why are they including other people, just call me),” Duterte said last October 18.