Garma: Duterte wanted Davao model that rewarded kills in war on drugs

Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Royina Garma on Friday told a House inquiry how then-President Rodrigo Duterte asked her when she was still a police official to look for an officer who will implement the Davao model of the war on drugs on a national scale—one in which rewards are given to the killing of drug suspects.

“During our meeting, he requested that I locate a Philippine National Police (PNP) officer or operative who is a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, indicating that he needed someone capable of implementing the War on Drugs on a national scale, replicating the Davao model," Garma told the House QuadComm.

"This Davao Model referred to the system involving payments and rewards. The Davao Model involves three levels of payments or rewards. First is the reward if the suspect is killed. Second is the funding of planned operations (or COPLANS). Third is the refund of operational expenses,” she added tearfully.

Garma said the meeting took place in May 2016, weeks before Duterte was to take his oath as president of the country on June 30.

The former chief of police of Davao and Cebu also mentioned the names of Senator Christopher "Bong" Go and National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo as among those involved in the implementation of the campaign.

"Rewards were only given for killings, while for arrests, ony the funding of the COPLAN and a refund for the expenses was given," Garma said.

Senior Deputy Speaker Dong Gonzales of Pampanga later asked Garma if she was forced to execute such an affidavit since she was in tears the whole time she was reading the four-page affidavit.

Garma said she executed the affidavit willingly, and that she was in tears due to complicated emotions.

“Wala po [pumilit], Mr. Chair. It took me one week  to make some reflections. I realized that the truth will always set us free," Garma said.

“It is normal that when you speak the truth, you cannot please everybody. At least, I will be able to contribute to make this country a better place to live for our children,” she added.

Nationwide model

Garma said that in compliance with Duterte’s request, he recommended her upperclassman Edilberto Leonardo, who was handling the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and was also a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo.

Garma said Leonardo prepared a Davao model nationwide war on drugs proposal “routed through Bong Go.”

Go, now a Senator, served as Special Assistant to the President when Duterte was President.

“Leonardo had the final authority to determine who would be included on the list of drug personalities and to classify their threat levels, as well as the discretion to remove individuals from the list,” Garma said.

Garma said that back in 2016 in a CIDG office, she overheard discussion of drug activities in the Davao Penal Colony with Leonardo and then Davao Penal Colony chief Gerardo Padilla, which identified certain Bureau of Correction (BuCor) officers involved in the drug trade, including a certain officer named "Guinto".

Guinto, Garma said, was subsequently killed along with other BuCor members.

“These are the critical facts I personally know regarding the drug war of the previous administration. I am prepared to provide additional details and information in a supplemental affidavit during the Executive Session, at the discretion of the Committee,” Garma said.

P1 million per kill

Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel then questioned Garma on the details on how much is monetary reward per drug war kill, and how much is the funding per anti-drug operation under the Davao model.

Garma said she did not know specifics on the price per drug war kill, but spilled that the highest reward was P1 million per kill.

“May amount po [per kill], Mr. Chair. From what I understand, starting from P20,000 to P1 million. But I'm not familiar with the bracketing,” Garma said.

(There's an amount per kill.)

Manuel asked Garma if the reward was set at P50,000 for level 1 or drug pusher, P100,000 for level 2 or big time drug pusher, P300,000 for narco politicians and protectors, and P1 million for traders, manufacturers, chemists, ninja cops or mga financiers.

“The case operation plan is submitted to Sir Leonardo. He facilitates the funding. In Davao, once there’s a successful police operation, if you have filed the case, there’s a number, proof that you filed a case, you will be refunded P5,000 for your expenses," Garma said.

These expenses include those on photocopying, buy bust money, payment for the agent, food for the suspect if he will be brought to court.

"Those are just enough to refund the expenses of the police operation,” Garma said.

In response, Manuel said it is no surprise that the police under the Duterte administration are trigger happy when it comes to killing drug suspects.

"I am still trying to absorb everything...from P20,000 to P1 million per head. And from Davao, this happened nationwide," Manuel said.

"Kaya naman pala ganado yung mga sangkot na mga pulis na kapag neutralization talaga, ang layunin ay pumatay, dahil pala ganon kalaki yung reward sa kanila,” he added.

(That is why the police are all so willing to neutralize, kill people, because they are rewarded with so much money for such an act.)

Duterte and other top officials of his administration are already being investigated by the International Criminal Court in connection with alleged commission of crimes against humanity for systematic drug war deaths in police operations during his tenure. 

These deaths reached around 6,000 based on police records, but human rights groups contend that the deaths reached as much as 30,000, including vigilante killings, due to Duterte's policy.

The former Chief Executive and the Duterte administration's officials, however, have denied that killing people at whim is a policy, if not insisted that the Philippines is not under ICC jurisdiction due to Manila's unilateral withdrawal from the Rome Statute in March 2019.  —NB, GMA Integrated News