PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief General Rommel Marbil has urged former chief PNPs to speak up on the alleged “administration-sanctioned covert operations” during the drug war of the Duterte administration.
In a statement, Marbil said the former top cops should particularly clarify their roles during the bloody anti-narcotics campaign of the former administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
He made the statement following the claims of retired Police Colonel Royina Garma implicating former police officials, as well as Duterte in the extrajudicial killings carried out by the PNP from 2016 to the earlier months of 2022, before Duterte stepped down from post.
“We take these allegations very seriously. We will thoroughly investigate Garma’s claims to ensure accountability and transparency within our ranks,” said Marbil, as he underscored the importance of restoring public trust in the PNP, particularly in light of the recalibrated anti-drug campaign aimed at prioritizing human rights.
“Our commitment to human rights and accountability is paramount. We must work diligently to regain the trust of the people and ensure that law enforcement operates within the bounds of the law,” he added.
Garma made the revelations during the continuation of the House quad committee hearing on Friday, October 11, where she presented a matrix suggesting that former PNP Chiefs were aware of these covert operations.
The panel is looking into the possible link between the proliferation of illegal operations of Pogos, illegal drug trade, anomalous land acquisitions, and extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration.
In her sworn affidavit, Garma implicated retired Colonel Edilberto Leonardo as a key figure in implementing the Davao model, which refers to an anti-illegal drugs system involving payments and rewards in three levels: reward if the suspect is killed, funding of planned operations, and refund of operational expenses.
Garma said Leonardo collaborated with Duterte and his aide, now Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, to establish a new Task Force comprising so-called “liquidators” across the country.
Leonardo resigned as a National Police Commission (Napolcom) commissioner amid the ongoing controversies.
Go denied Garma’s claims, saying it is a clear diversionary tactic amid her and Leonardo’s implication in the murder of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary, retired general Wesley Barayuga.
Earlier, former chief PNP now Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, the chief implementer of Duterte’s drug war, said he is not aware of the rewards system and the matrix as claimed by Garma.
“During my time as the chief PNP, I did not engage in a reward system because I had no funds for that. The only reward system in the pop is the DILG-approved list of the most wanted persons,” Dela Rosa said.
“I did not believe in such a system because it is a sworn duty of every policeman to keep his area of responsibility free from drugs,” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)