House quad-committee (quad-comm) overall chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers expects retired police colonel Royina Garma to make a return as witness should her name come up again in the investigation on the previous Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs. 

Barbers had this to say Tuesday, Nov. 12 as he expressed surpise over reports that Garma--arguably the witness who made the biggest revelation in the quad-comm inquiry--had already left the country.

"Nanja-dyan siya nung huling hearing namin eh (She was there during our last hearing)," the startled Barbers said in a press conference, referring to their hearing at the House of Representatives last Nov. 7.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) would later confirm Tuesday afternoon that Garma, a former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager, was arrested in Los Angeles in the United States (US).

"Well, we advised them na kapag kinakailangan sila ay kailangan na mag attend sila (Welll, we advised them that if they are needed then they need to attend the hearings)," the veteran solon said.

Barbers says that while the quad-comm has "moved on" from the 2020 assassination of PCSO Board Secretary Wesley Barayuga--where Garma has been tagged in--there's always the possibility that she would be referenced again by another resource person.

"We will have to invite them so that bigyan din sila ng pagkakataon na magkaharap sila yung nag-aakusa at saka yung inaakusahan," said the quad-comm chief.

(We will have to invite them so that they'll get the opportunity to face each other, the accuser and the one being a acussed.)

Barbers said in the presser that he had "no information" about Garma's trip.

In a quad-comm hearing last Oct. 11, Garma accused former president Rodrigo Duterte of spearheading a nationwide, cash reward-driven system during his administration's war on drugs, similar to what allegedly took place in Davao City.  

HAVE YOU READ THIS?

https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/11/cash-reward-driven-drug-war-was-duterte-s-idea

Garma bared that he recommended to Duterte retired colonel and former National Police Commission (Napolcom) commissioner Edilberto Leonardo as the implementer of this alleged "Davao model". 

Leonardo would corroborate Garma's affidavit in a subsequent quad-comm hearing.

Barbers had earlier said that both Garma and Leonardo are no longer under the custody of the House of Representatives. They were earlier detained there after being cited for contempt.