MANILA, Philippines — Retired police chief Royina Garma confessed to House lawmakers on Friday, October 11, that former President Rodrigo Duterte asked her help to implement a reward system for police officers based on the number of drug suspects they killed.
At the House quadcom’s eighth public hearing on the drug-related extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the Duterte administration, Garma submitted a sworn statement to lawmakers, revealing that Duterte had "called upon" her to "replicate the Davao Model" for his war on drugs campaign.
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It can be recalled that Garma was also appointed by Duterte to be the general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in 2019.
What is the Davao Model? According to Garma, the Davao Model is a reward system for police officers consisting of three levels.
They may either receive an award, funding for “planned operations” or COPLANS, or reimbursements for operational expenses.
Where it all began
Garma admitted that she had already known Duterte in 2016, saying she was "acquainted" with him during his time as mayor of Davao City.
She remembers Duterte calling her at 5 a.m. in May 2016, asking her to meet him at his home in Don Luisa, Davao.
“During our meeting, he requested that I locate a Philippine National Police (PNP) officer or operative who is a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo,” Garma said in her affidavit.
That officer turned out to be National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, Garma’s senior, who met all of Duterte's qualifications.
Garma then said that Duterte later met with Leonardo at Mandaya Hotel and “directed him to organize a task force” akin to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force.
The task force. Leonardo invited her to join the task force, but Garma said she declined because she “lacked experience in handling such operations.”
However, Garma explained that she remained “informed” about how the task force would operate nationwide through Leonardo’s proposal, which had been “routed through Sen. Bong Go.”
They later requested a courtesy call with Duterte at the Department of Public Works and Highways office in Davao, which included Leonardo’s classmates from batches 1997 and 1996 of the PNP Academy.
When Leonardo was transferred to Manila in June 2016, a month since Duterte called, Garma said she “facilitated all meetings” between him and Go, who was Duterte’s executive assistant when he was president.
Reward system. By this time, Leonardo led the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Region 11, where he assigned former police officers to “collect and verify information” on the arrests or killings of drug personalities listed in Duterte’s narco list.
“The compilation (of reports) is thereafter elevated to Leonardo who will decide what ‘Level’ the arrest and/or killing was and its corresponding reward,” Garma said.
“Rewards were only given for killings, while for arrests, only the funding of the COPLAN and a refund for the expenses was given,” she added.
Bank accounts. All commissions or refunds for operatives were processed through the bank accounts of Peter Parungo, one of Leonardo’s trusted personnel, via three different banks, the retired police chief said.
It was then through Lester Berganio, also one of Leonardo’s subordinates, whom Garma said had “maintained the comprehensive list of drug personalities” in the country.
All incidents of individuals killed during police operations were reported to Go as part of the reimbursement requests, Garma claimed.
She also mentioned that Leonardo had “the final authority” to determine which names would be included or removed from the narco list and to classify their threat levels.
While Garma admitted all this at the congressional probe, she also was seen crying and apologizing to EJK victims and their families.
In the past hearings, Garma was implicated in the killing of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga in 2020 and three alleged Chinese drug lords in 2016.