House QuadComm eyes release of Garma, extends contempt order vs. Cassie Ong 

The House Quad Committee (QuadComm) will likely release retired Police Colonel Royina Garma from detention by lifting the contempt order issued against her last September 12, panel lead chairperson and Surigao del Norte lawmaker Ace Barbers said. 

“As soon as maserve niya ‘yung contempt order, para sa akin siguro okay na rin ‘yun. She has cooperated and she has promised that she will cooperate even after she is already freed from the detention facility,” Barbers said in a press conference.

(As soon as she already served the contempt order, that's okay.)

After she was cited in contempt due to allegedly evading questions, Garma revealed that then President-elect Rodrigo Duterte asked her help in forming a team for the implementation of a nationwide drug war campaign patterned after the Davao model, which rewarded police officers with money for every drug suspect killed.

“The contempt order [on Garma] lasts until the committee terminates its hearings and submits its committee report to the plenary for its approval, but we can lift it anytime. We feel that majority of the members that we can already lift it because of certain conditions which would include either full cooperation, or [because] we are able to exhaust all questions to her and able to get the information we need for us to complete our committee report,” Barbers added.

Garma, a former Cebu city police chief, also said that the bounty for each drug suspect killed ranges from P20,000 to P1 million per kill.

“Tutulong siya (Garma). Kasi mukha namang sincere siya sa kanyang binitawang salita na siya'y tutulong. At hindi naman siya makakatakas, malamang, dahil she has to face a lot of legal challenges na nangyayari sa kanya ngayon, gaya nitong preliminary investigation na ginagawa ng DOJ sa kanya and others,” Barbers said.

(She will be of help. And she seems sincere in her words. Otherwise, she cannot evade accountability, the Justice department is already looking into this.)

“Pagkatapos namin ang aming committee report, we will definitely recommend the appropriate cases to be filed against them, including Garma, [retired police colonel Edilberto] Leonardo, and the others. That is what we are preparing for," Barbers added. 

(Once I am done with the committee report, we'll be recommending filing cases against Garma, Leonardo, among others.)

Garma said she witnessed the Davao model of rewarding police officers per kill when she was assigned in Davao City. 

Garma said the net rewards were common knowledge among officers that almost all station commanders had special teams designated for specific operations.  She added she even received P20,000 after an "Akyat Bahay" suspect was killed in a police operation.

Barbers said the QuadComm has decided to extend the contempt and accompanying detention order against documented Lucky South 99 representative Cassandra Ong in the Women's Correctional Facility in Mandaluyong.

Barbers said that this was because of Ong’s continued refusal to submit Lucky South 99 documents and other related paperwork to the QuadComm is asking from her in relation to the QuadComm’s ongoing probe on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO)-linked crimes such as scam hubs and human trafficking allegedly involving Lucky South 99, among other POGO firms.

“We cited Cassandra Ong in contempt. Pero ‘yung contempt order na yun is for 30 days. And the 30th day will end on October 24. Because it will end tomorrow, we had to extend the contempt order for her to remain in the detention facility, in the Women's Correctional. Actually, it's not an extension, it's another contempt order. Kasi, hanggang ngayon, in spite of the fact na nandun siya sa loob ng detention facility, hindi pa rin siya nagsasubmit ng dokumento,” Barbers said.

(We cited her in contempt for 30 days but we had to extend because despite her detention, she still refuses to submit documents.)

“She refuses to submit all these documents and she refused to give us a valid reason. Ang rason niya kasi nasa cellphone daw niya, ‘yung files eh. You and I know that you don't keep important files sa cellphone. Hindi mo naman lahat ilalagay sa cellphone ‘yan. Kaya sinasabi namin, because you have violated the Section 11 paragraph C of the Rules of the House. Kailangan ma-cite ka in contempt,” Barbers said.

(She says the files are in her cellphone [surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation]. But we all know you won't put all your important documents in your phone.)

The QuadComm, however, is yet to decide how long the extension of the contempt order against Ong will take, Barbers added.

The QuadComm suspects that Ong is just a dummy for Lucky South 99 due to Ong's repeated refusal to show documents that will show her source of income.—LDF, GMA Integrated News