Former state lottery chief Garma gave posts to daughter, kin

Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office General Manager Royina Garma—PHOTO BY NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma is facing ethical questions on top of the more serious allegations that she directed assassinations.

During a hearing called by the House quad committee on Friday, lawmakers learned from Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez that Garma appointed at least seven family members, including her own daughter, to the agency when she was its general manager from 2019 to 2022.

Garma herself confirmed their appointments. She admitted that she had appointed her own daughter, now 23, as a “confidential agent” of the PCSO.

During her first appearance before the House quad committee, which is investigating the links between illegal drugs, offshore gaming operations and extrajudicial killings, Garma was driven to tears after being cited in contempt and ordered detained in the House because she would be separated from her daughter who had been diagnosed with dyslexia and bipolar disorder.

READ: Garma reduced to tears under House grilling, then detained

‘Someone you could trust’

“So you appointed your daughter who is sick as a confidential agent?” an incredulous Fernandez asked. “Why appoint your daughter if she’s sick?”

“Mr. Chair, at the time, the only diagnosis she had was dyslexia, that didn’t mean she was mentally (incapable),” Garma said.

She also told Fernandez that she believed the only qualifications to being a confidential agent was “someone you could trust” on certain matters, prompting Fernandez to inform her that the basic requirements for a confidential agent are a bachelor’s degree and prior experience in law enforcement.

Garma’s other family members who were hired by the state charity agency were her sister-in-law Doris Garma, who was appointed to the administrative office; first cousin Howard Marzan as an IT consultant and his wife Irene, her private secretary.

‘Quite unethical’

The others were Marie Serojales, a nurse; Junjun Ubales, a member of her security detail; and his wife Emy Ubales.

“Don’t you think it’s quite unethical for a general manager to put her cousins, daughter, in-laws, as part of your circle in the PCSO?” Fernandez asked Garma.

“Mr. Chair, the positions that were given to them, the only requirements were trust and confidence, just like anybody who is appointed,” Garma explained.

The 52-year-old former police officer was summoned to the quad committee hearing following allegations that she had masterminded the killing of three Chinese drug lords in a Davao prison in 2016.

On Friday, a narcotics officer and his informant, also pointed to Garma as the person who ordered the killing of PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga in 2020.

READ: Garma grilled over hiring relatives in PCSO, starting STL party-list

Since her first appearance, lawmakers had quizzed her on the kind of relationship she has with former President Rodrigo Duterte, who had named her to the PCSO post despite having no credentials to head the state gaming agency.

Before her PCSO appointment, Garma served as a Davao police station commander before being assigned as the police chief of Cebu City, which became a hot spot for alleged extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s drug war.

Then Cebu Mayor Tommy Osmeña strongly opposed her appointment as Cebu’s top cop after a 2018 PCSO report alleged that she was receiving P1 million weekly from illegal gambling operations. She has denied receiving payoffs.