FORMER Cebu City Police Office chief Royina Garma has publicly apologized for the operational mistakes that occurred during the height of the war on drugs in Cebu City.
During the House Quad Committee meeting on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, Garma, also the former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager, was sorry to the affected families who attended and shared their testimonies in the same inquiry against the war on drugs, which was implemented during the Duterte administration from 2016 to 2022.
Garma, a retired police colonel, tearfully apologized on behalf of her personnel for the wrongs committed against victims of the drug campaign during the previous administration. “I am very sorry on behalf of my men na nagkamali sa inyo. I’m very sorry, but I cannot control all of them,” said Garma.
“Lahat sila trained police officer. Alam nila ang rules of engagement. But alam mo, once you are on the ground, you will always use yung discretion… instinct yan ng tao,” she added.
Garma acknowledged that errors and mistakes had been made, explaining that she had no control over the crime scene investigation process, which was managed by a separate unit.
“Nakita ko rin naman na ginamit na nagkamali. Inaamin ko may nagkakamali. Pero pinagbibigyan ko kung saan niyo gusto mag-file ng case. Pinagbibigyan ko, hinahayaan ko at lahat ng yan na process ang crime scene, which is not under my control ang crime scene,” Garma said.
Garma then expressed her regret to the victims for not being able to investigate each case individually.
SunStar Cebu attempted to contact former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña, the local chief executive when Garma served as city police chief, for his comment, but he refused to respond.
In 2022, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported that 6,235 deaths were attributed to anti-drug operations since the campaign began in 2016. This is contrary to several human rights groups’ data, which estimated that the death toll could be from 12,000 to 30,000.
Based on media reports, Cebu Province was the second province in the country with the highest number of drug-related deaths during the period, with over 500.
Bulacan topped the list with over 1,000 drug suspects killed.
According to reports, the deaths occurred after drug suspects allegedly resisted police arrest, a claim disputed by the victims’ families and witnesses.
Meanwhile, in the same inquiry, Garma submitted an affidavit that directly implicated former president Rodrigo Duterte in orchestrating a nationwide campaign responsible for the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) of drug suspects.
Garma disclosed important details about Duterte and Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, outlining their roles in managing and coordinating anti-drug operations.
Garma further said that Col. Edilberto Leonardo was reportedly tasked with outlining the operations of a task force that would cover all three main regions of the Philippines.
In her affidavit, she said the reward system replicated the “Davao Model,” where payments were made specifically for carrying out killings.
She said that the “Davao Model” comprises three tiers of payments or rewards. The first is the reward if the suspect is killed. Second is the funding of planned operations and last is the reimbursement of operational expenses.
In a statement released Saturday, Go countered that the claims of Garma during the hearing are “divisionary tactics” to the issue.
Go recommended that the Senate conduct an unbiased investigation into the allegations of Garma.
“Palagi kong sinasabi, karapatan ng taumbayan na malaman ang katotohanan. Doon lang sana tayo sa totoo at tama. Kilala n’yo po ako. Mas gusto kong magtrabaho at magserbisyo lamang sa kapwa ko Pilipino pero kung sariling pangalan ko na ang nadudungisan, hindi ako papayag dyan,” said Go.