The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will be holding a joint investigation into the killing of retired police general and former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga.
Police have already started reinvestigating the Barayuga murder and the latest development, according to PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, was that Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has already instructed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to coordinate with the police in the conduct of the probe.
‘Instead of the NBI conducting a separate investigation, it will be a joint operation of the PNP and the CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) with respect to the case of Wesley Barayuga,” said Fajardo in a press briefing.
Barayuga was shot dead in Mandaluyong City in 2020 and up to now, not a single person was held responsible for the killing.
But in a recent hearing of the Quad-Committee of the House of Representatives, Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza admitted his role in the killing of Barayuga and pointed to retired police colonel and former PCSO general manager Royima Garma and retired police colonel Edilberto Leonardo as the ones who ordered the hit.
The House’s Quad-Committee is currently investigating the drug war.
In the hearings, Garma has already started naming names in the drug war operations of the past administration while a lawmaker has already hinted that Leonardo, who recently resigned as a commissioner of the National Police Commission (Napolcom), is already showing signs of cooperation.
Fajardo said the PNP, through the CIDG, is now preparing a case of murder against Garma, Leonardo and Mendoza, who was then with the PNP’s anti-illegal drugs group.
The three also face a case of frustrated murder in connection with the driver of Barayuga who survived the attack. Fajardo said Barayuga’s driver will serve as the complainant in the case.
Fajardo said the PNP-NBI joint investigation will help strengthen the case against those who are involved.
The PNP is now prepared to file the case but with the order of Remulla, Fajardo said they are ready to share their case folder with the NBI.
“So this a good development and this a welcome development for the PNP because the NBI may have in their possession some evidence that would further supplement our complaint,” said Fajardo.
Barayuga was allegedly killed over his link to illegal drugs according to Mendoza but Marbil earlier said that he was not in the drug list.
This prompted Marbil to review the protocol in the inclusion of a person in any crime watchlist.