By Paula Valero
House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro implies that former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte utilized his confidential funds as cash rewards to fire up the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during his administration.
Former President Duterte’s administration is infamous for the controversial EJKs due to illegal drugs.
Castro urged former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office General Manager Royina Garma on the supposed money used to fuel the EJKs in the House Quad Committee hearing on October 11.
“You think iyong pera po ay isang source ng pinagkukuhanan ng rewards ay iyong confidential funds or intelligence funds?” Castro asked.
“Ayoko pong mag-speculate po, Your Honor.” Garma hesitantly says.
Garma read her affidavit, which implicated Duterte. It also exposed the alleged distribution of the cash reward for executing the EJKs. The roles of the former president and his aide, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, in planning the whole anti-drug operations were also revealed with the affidavit.
The alleged flow of the money came from Sen. Go to former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Region 11 chief Police Col. Edilberto Leonardo, other Philippine National Police (PNP) officials, and operatives from agencies like the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and Bureau of Corrections.
Garma established that the reward system existed but did not elaborate on the source of its funds.
Castro raised the omission of some well-known Duterte associates, such as businessman Michael Yang, but Garma only mentioned Peter Lim.
Yang was Duterte’s economic adviser but was supposedly involved in drug smuggling in Mindanao, and Lim was a well-known drug lord in Visayas.
Garma neither confirmed nor denied the allegations of Castro, but his questions did raise concern regarding the possible misuse of finance to aid in Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.
“Lahat po sila—lahat po ng officer na nandito po sa loob—alam po nila iyan; public knowledge lang po. Ako lang po ang naglakas loob magsabi,” she said regarding the officers having knowledge about the flow of money but the fear took over them.
According to Garma, the incentives allegedly ranged from P20,000 to P1 million, depending on the target.
Yorumlar