Leonardo denies receiving cash to reward drug slays

Former police colonel Edilberto Leonardo on Tuesday denied he received money to reward police officers who have killed drug personalities during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

At the continuation of the House QuadComm inquiry into the killings in the war on drugs, Leonardo was asked about retired Police Colonel Royina Garma's testimony which placed him at the center of the nationwide implementation of the alleged Davao model on rewarding drug slays.

The cash rewards allegedly ranged from P20,000 to P1 million depending on the drug personality's threat level.

Garma said that 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. 

“Dine-deny ko po na tumanggap ako ng pera,” Leonardo said during the questioning of Laguna lawmaker Dan Fernandez.

(I deny that I received money.)

Fernandez then asked Leonardo if rewarding money to police officials for every drug suspect killed was true as Garma testified.

“Meron po akong naririnig, Mr. Chair. Pero wala po akong personal knowledge, Mr. Chair,” Leonardo said.

(I hear things to that effect, Mr. Chair. But I have no personal knowledge.)

Fernandez countered by saying that the reward system had been also confirmed by Police Colonel Jovie Espenido, among others.

Duterte recently said that he gave “allowances" to police officials after each successful anti-drug police operation.

Duterte recently said that he only gave “food and greetings" to police officials after each successful anti-drug police operation.

But Leonardo, during the same hearing, admitted to presenting an anti-drug war plan dubbed as the Davao model to then President-elect Duterte in May 2016.

“Actually, plano lang po yun, na parang Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao po, lalagyan ng mga tao. Ganun po ang plano namin. Tumulong po sa war on drugs, Mr. Chair. Ganun na ho ‘yun,” Leonardo said.

(It was just a plan to deploy personnel in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao. That was the plan, to help in the war on drugs. That’s it.)

Leonardo, however, said this plan was never implemented.

“Matapos kami magplano na hindi naman pala uubra, ‘yun pong Davao model,  kasi ay ‘yung Tokhang actually, ang ibig sabihin ay kakatok, tapos ay pakikiusapan na sumurrender na. ‘Yun po ang gagawing national scale na i-implement ng PNP under Oplan Double Barrel,” Leonardo added.

(After we planned the Davao model, there was a conclusion that it could be implemented because Tokhang, meaning knock and plead for the drug suspects to surrender, is the one which will be implemented by the police on a national scale under Oplan Double Barrel.) —NB, GMA Integrated News