House Speaker Martin Romualdez (PPAB)

House Speaker Martin Romualdez has assured the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Matikas" Class of 1983 that the perpetrators of  Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga's assassination would be punished. 

This, as Romualdez thanked on Sunday, Sept. 29 the members of the PMA class for their full trust and confidence in the House quad-committee's (quad-comm) ongoing investigation. 

"I would like to thank the PMA "Matikas" Class of 1983 for the trust and confidence they have given to our quad-committee in looking for justice for their mistah [who] was assassinated in 2020," he said. 

"Rest assured our quad members will continue to look for the truth amid the bashing and hate messages from a certain sector," added the House leader. 

Led by its overall chairman, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the special four-way panel is conducting an inquiry into the alleged interconnected issues of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), illegal drugs, money-laundering, and the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the previous Duterte administration.  

During last Friday’s seventh quad-comm hearing held at the House of Representatives, Police Lt. Col. Santie Fuentes Mendoza, presently assigned with the Philippine National Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group (DEG), and his civilian anti-drug “asset” Nelson Mariano both testified that former PCSO general manager Royina Garma and National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo planned and funded the July 30, 2020 assassination of Barayuga. 

In a statement, the Matikas class personally thanked the quad-comm for finally shedding light on the death of their "mistah" or comrade. 

“The Philippine Military Academy Matikas Class of 1983 extends our deep gratitude and appreciation to the honorable members of the quad-committee of the House of Representatives, Republic of the Philippines, for the inquiry that finally identified the alleged suspects in the assassination of our dear mistah Wesley Barayuga,” reas the statement from Barayuga's classmates. 

“Your persistent efforts and incisive line of questioning have given light and hope for the successful resolution of Wesley's tragic assassination four years ago,” they added. 

Barbers echoed Romualdez commitment to help give a proper resolution to the crime. 

"On behalf of quad-comm, I would like to assure you that we would dig to the bottom of Wesley’s case and ensure that all the people who conspired in his murder are punished under all our applicable laws,” the lawmaker from Mindanao said. 

An emotional Mendoza confessed before solons that Leonardo called him for a “special operation” on Barayuga, whom the latter described as a “high-value” target under former president Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. 

Mendoza’s statement was corroborated by his asset Mariano. Allegedly, a P300,000 reward money, supposedly coming from Garma herself, was given to them after the successful kill. 

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Of the amount, P40,000 went to Mendoza; P60,000 to Mariano; and P200,000 for the two gunmen, one of whom was identified only as a certain “Loloy". 

Barayuga was appointed PCSO board secretary on Jan. 24, 2018. Ret. P/Gen. Anselmo Pinili, also a member of the Matikas class, was appointed PCSO chairman of the board on Jan. 24, 2018. Both Barayuga and Pinili served under their PMA Classmate Maj. Gen. Alexander Balutan, who was PCSO general manager at that time. 

Balutan, appointed as PCSO general manager on Sept. 13, 2016, was unceremoniously fired by Duterte on March 8, 2019 and was replaced by then-Police Col. Garma, who still have 10 years before her retirement from police service, on July 15, 2019. 

The quad-committee had earlier established the closeness between Duterte and Garma, which allegedly help the latter get "juicy" appointments.