đź“·Retired Police Col. and Ex-PCSO General Manager Royina Garma
A Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group (PNP-PDEG) member accused National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo and former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager and retired police colonel Royina Garma of killing PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga in 2019.
In a sworn statement at the House quad committee hearing on Friday, September 27, Police Lieutenant Colonel Santie Mendoza said Leonardo called him regarding an operation against a high-value drug dealer in October 2019.
Mendoza said he hesitated to kill Barayuga, who was allegedly involved in illegal drug activities but was told the intelligence information came from Garma and didn’t need verification.
“Colonel Leonardo said that undertaking this project would dictate the direction of my career as a police officer,” Mendoza said.
“Sa kabila ng aking pag-a-alinlangan na tanggapin ang utos na ito sa kadahilanang isang opisyal ng gobyerno ang aming target, ako ay napilitan na lang na sumang-ayon at sumunod dahil ang utos ay mula sa isang nakatataas na opisyal at upperclassman ko na si [Police Colonel] Leonardo, at ang utos ay galing mismo sa isang opisyal ng gabinete na si Ma’am Royina Garma,” Mendoza added.
Mendoza said they killed an innocent person when asked why he cried when reading his affidavit to Congress.
Due to his experience in previous operations, Mendoza hired former police corporal Nelson Mariano. An anti-drug cop revealed Mariano was his former informant on drug personality operations.
He further stated that Garma had allegedly offered personal information about Barayuga’s criminal acts, making it difficult to decline the assignment.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown hindered mobility and government operations, the plot to execute Barayuga was delayed.
Leonardo followed up with Mendoza in June 2020 to emphasize the urgency of the mission and restart the plan. Later, they located “Loloy,” their hitman.
Mendoza said Garma at a PCSO meeting gave the hitmen a photo of Barayuga to identify the target.
“Colonel Leonardo also said that we will not have any difficulty in conducting the operation because Ma’am Garma has already issued a service vehicle for Wesley Barayuga to use, and gave me the description and plate number of the vehicle,” he said.
“He said we can shoot Wesley Barayuga after he leaves the building. I forwarded all this information to Nelson Mariano,” he added.
According to Mendoza’s affidavit, Barayuga was executed at Mandaluyong City on July 30, 2020, aboard a vehicle in broad daylight. The ambush injured Barayuga’s driver, Jojo Gunao.
Mendoza claimed that Garma had authorized a P300,000 payment to the Barayuga assassins through a middleman named “Toks.”
He added that they collected P40,000 and that Garma and Leonardo oversaw the operation.
Mendoza concludes the affidavit by saying he testified for court processes without coercion or reward.
The House probes extrajudicial deaths, Rodrigo Duterte’s illegal drug campaign, and Philippine offshore casino operations, focusing on Garma and Leonardo. Two former Davao Death Squad members were accused of killing three Chinese drug lords in 2016. (TCSP)
