Former president Rodrigo Duterte (lef), Royina Garma (Malacañang photo, Facebook)




 

The House quad-committee (quad-comm) has yet to finish its inquiry on the killing of three Chinese drug lords within jail in 2016, but Antipolo City 2nd district Rep. Romeo Acop already thinks that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) can build up a case for "conspiracy to commit murder". 

And if the discussion in the quad-comm hearings are any indication, former president Rodrigo Duterte--the architect of the bloody war on drugs--could get implicated. 

Duterte's name has repeatedly been brought up in the hearings when it comes to the killings of Chu Kin Tung, Li Lan Yan, and Wong Meng Pin in August 2016 at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) in Davao del Norte. 

“May I move that the NBI should conduct an investigation and get all the pieces of evidence and documents given to this committee so that they can file the necessary charges against those people who should be charged because of this crime? So moved, Mr. Chair,” Acop said on Thursday night, Sept. 12 during the last hearing. 

Acop had the notion to prod the NBI into building up the case after seeing all the alleged participants in the DPPF incident converge at the hearing, except for one. 

"My request that the Attorney Galicia of the NBI would take note of what would be taken. After the numerous hearings of this quad-committee on extrajudicial killing (EJK), nandito na po lahat yung major players ng conspiracy to commit murder doon sa Davao penal colony," the quad-comm vice chairman said. 

(All of the major players in the conspiracy to commit murder at the Davao penal polony are present here.) 

Overall chairman of the quad-comm, Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers carried Acop's motion after none of the congressmen objected to it. 

The Sept. 12 quad-comm hearing was the first one to be attended by retired police colonel and former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma. 

Garma, who the quad-comm has established to be very close to Duterte, has been tagged by Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel as the "director" of the DPPF killings. 

During the course of the House probe on the DPPF murders, two inmates Leopoldo Tan Jr. and Fernando “Andy” Magdadaroconfessed they took part of the murders of the three drug lords, saying they did it upon the orders of one SPO4 Arthur Narsolis. 

Another inmate, former policeman Jimmy Fortaleza--a classmate of Royina's in Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Class of 1997--has also came forward to corroborate Tan and Magdadaro’s testimony. 

The former warden of DPPF, Senior Supt. Gerardo Padilla implicated ex-president Duterte, whom he said allegedly called him to congratulate him on the killings of the three drug lords. 

Padilla also told the quad-comm that Garma ordered him not to interfere in an “operation” at the penal colony, referring to the murders. 

Narsolis, the person who allegedly offered the "job" to hitmen Tan and Magdadaro, had been cited for contempt after failing to attend the hearings. 

Duterte had been invited in the past to attend the hearings, but he has shown no interest in them. 

The quad-comm has already moved to gather the records of calls and texts between Fortaleza and Garma, who is also a former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) officer and Cebu City’s police chief during the bloody drug war of the Duterte administration. 

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When Garma evaded queries from solons about her close relationship with Duterte, she was also cited for contempt and ordered detained withing the House of Representatives. 

All throughout the Thursday hearing, Garma kept denying her role in the 2016 murders, even if four witnesses had already signed sworn affidavits detailing that she directed the commission of the crimes. 

Usually, a recommendation for the pressing of charges against individuals is only given by a House committee after it had concluded its investigation in aid of legislation. 

The quad-comm is looking into the alleged interconnected issues of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), illegal drugs, money-laundering, and EJKs during the previous Duterte administration.