House of Representatives Quad-Committee (Official Facebook page of the House of Representatives)
MANILA, Philippines — A police official has claimed that two House of Representatives lawmakers pressure him to confirm retired police colonel Royina Garma’s testimonies about a reward system in the past administration’s drug war.
At the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee on Monday, Police Col. Hector Grijaldo claimed that a security official asked him to go out of the quad committee’s hearing room to meet Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr.
This happened, Grijaldo said, last October 22 or during the ninth and most recent quad committee hearing.
“When I entered the room, I saw two lawyers of Police Colonel Garma, standing inside the room, one of the lawyers approached me, and then asked me, what are we going to talk about? I said, I do not know. After a while, Cong. Dan Fernandez entered the room, and he asked me to sit beside him on his right side. And then, Cong. Abante entered the room, sat at the far end of the chair on the right,” Grijaldo said.
“Cong. Dan Fernandez put the paper he was holding on the table and told me, ‘mention this statement’ while pointing at the paragraph on the paper. ‘This is the supplemental statement of Colonel Garma, say that you are aware of the rewards system, just confirm it’,” he added.
Grijaldo, however, said that when he told the lawmakers that he cannot confirm Garma’s testimonies, Fernandez asked where he can fit in the ex-colonel’s testimonies.
“I was puzzled, and I asked myself, ‘Why me?’ I respectfully told him that I cannot confirm (what) they are saying as I have not read the affidavit. We went silent for a while, and then Cong. DanFernandez said, while holding the statement, ‘Where can you fit? Here in 1999, about the DDS (Davao Death Squad), you know this, you’re already a cop in Davao during this time’,” Grijaldo said.
“I politely told him that I was not still with the PNP because I was working with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in 1999 at that time. After some time, Cong. Abante asked me how many years I still have with the PNP. I answered, ‘I still have four years before my retirement.’ Then he made a remark, ‘you can still be a general’,” he added.
Abante, Grijaldo said, also tried to urge him to spill something.
“I humbly responded to him (Abante), I am happy with my rank sir, after this I would go home and plant sweet potatoes. The cordial conversation between us continued. And I felt that they wanted to convince me to do what they wanted me to do. Then Cong. Abante asked me where I serve as a chief of police, to which I answered, Mandaluyong City Police Station, sir’,” Grijaldo said.
“Cong. Abante then persuaded me by saying, ‘ikaw naman colonel, this is what we do, I don’t think there was any incident in Mandaluyong during that time. I answered, and I served as a COP in Mandaluyong during the COVID-19 pandemic. And there were less crimes committed,” he added.
After this, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Senator Ronald dela Rosa asked if Grijaldo was being coached and harassed to corroborate Garma’s claims. In response, Grijaldo answered in the affirmative.
“You felt that you were being coached to make that statement?” dela Rosa asked.
“Yes your Honor, I feel that I’ve been corrupted to make that statement your Honor, because at that time,” Grijaldo said.
“Did you feel harassed?” dela Rosa inquired again.
“It’s a harassment and very offensive, your Honor, and uncalled for anybody, at that time I was wearing my uniform […] It seems that they want me to lie,” Grijaldo replied.
Garma’s testimony during the quad committee hearing last October 22 was about the existence of a Davao Death Squad (DDS), a hit squad supposedly created by former president Rodrigo Duterte when he was Davao City mayor.
According to Garma, the existence of the DDS was common knowledge among police officers.
Prior to that, Garma also testified before the quad committee last October 11 claimed that the Duterte administration adopted a “Davao template” in implementing the drug war on a nationwide scale, where officers involved in the killing drug suspects are financially rewarded.