PNP: No sacred cows in Barayuga murder probe

MANILA, Philippines — There will be no sacred cows in the Philippine National Police’s investigation into the murder of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga, a PNP official said yesterday.

“We will spare no one in filing and investigating cases,” PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo told dzBB.

Fajardo said Barayuga’s murder case would be prioritized as the PNP reopens its probe into over 6,000 anti-narcotics operations conducted during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte.

Two witnesses – police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza and Nelson Mariano – implicated former PCSO general manager Royina Garma and resigned National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo in Barayuga’s murder.

The PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation are conducting separate probes into the killing.

Mendoza’s revelation at the House of Representatives quad commitee hearing that he was ordered to kill Barayuga will be probed, Fajardo said.

Also to be investigated, Fajardo said, are Garma’s statements about Col. Marvin Marcos’ involvement in the killing of mayor Rolando Espinosa of Albuera, Leyte and the assassination of mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan, Batangas by a certain  police Major Albotra.

The police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is “ready to file cases” related to Barayuga’s murder, Fajardo said.

The PNP hopes to “give justice to the families of high-profile victims of the war on drugs,” she added.

Around 40,000 anti-narcotics operations have been carried out by the PNP from January to Oct. 10 this year, with a focus on “respecting human life and protecting subjects of police operations,” Fajardo noted.

Marbil wants PNP restructured

Meanwhile, PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil has appealed to lawmakers to pass legislation that will create a “flatter, more streamlined structure” that can lead to faster decision-making and improved accountability.

Decentralizing the PNP will “empower lower-ranking officers to make localized decisions, thereby reducing delays and enhancing operational efficiency,” Marbil said.

Republic Act 6975, which created the Department of the Interior and Local Government and assigned the PNP as its attached agency, has faced “systemic challenges that impede the police force’s ability and capacity to respond swiftly and effectively,” Marbil said.