Senate panel issues subpoena to Garma, Leonardo, Guban

The Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee on Monday issued a subpoena ad testificandum to retired police colonel Royina Garma, retired police colonel Edilberto Leonardo, former Customs bureau intelligence officer Jimmy Guban, among others, to compel their presence before the Senate panel's probe on the drug war, including that of the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Sub-committee chairperson and Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel made the motion to issue the subpoena after Senator Ronald dela Rosa, an ally of Duterte, took offense on the absence of the individuals who already testified before the House QuadCom probe of the Duterte administration's drug war.

“We have to require their presence here. I can only surmise that they don’t want their statement given before the House of Representatives to be debunked before this body,” Dela Rosa said.

“Ayaw nila lumabas ang katotohanan kapag ayaw nila pumunta rito,” he added.

(If they don't come there, then they do not want the truth to come out.)

To which Pimentel replied, “I move to issue by subpoena ad testificandum to all those invited but did not attend.”

Pimentel said that it was only Garma who appeared to have a valid excuse because she is on a medical furlough.

The panel's secretariat said Leonardo was infected with COVID-19.

Garma earlier testified that Duterte implemented a Davao model drug war nationwide which rewards police officers with money for killing drug suspects.

Duterte, however, has since denied Garma’s testimony.

Garma, however, later added to her testimony by saying that the Davao model of rewarding police officials for their killings is deeply rooted to Duterte's days as Davao city mayor, and that she even received P20,000 after an "Akyat Bahay" suspect was killed in a police operation when she was still stationed in Davao City.

Further, Garma spilled that Duterte called her after her explosive testimony not to stop her from testifying but to explain why he wanted an Iglesia Ni Cristo member to lead the national drug war police operations.

Leonardo, for his part, said he has heard of the reward system for killing suspects but denied receiving such rewards.

Guban, on the other hand, also testified before the House QuadComm that he had been told that the multi-billion-peso shabu shipment seized in 2018 belonged to Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte's husband Mans Carpio, and former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang.

"Huwag ka matakot kasi sila Mans Carpio, Pulong Duterte at Michael Yang ang may-ari ng shipment," Guban quoted a lower-ranked Customs officer as telling him about the shipment of shabu in 2018.

Also on Monday, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Monday denied involvement in granting money rewards to police officials for every drug suspect killed during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

"I am not authorized to handle money. I have never handled financial, budget matters, taliwas sa sinasabi ng iba," Go said.

It was also Garma who also said that Go was the one facilitating the money rewards for the police who kill drug suspects. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News