Ex-Pres. Duterte: I don’t remember calling Garma in 2016

Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he does not remember calling retired Police Colonel Royina Garma during his administration to look for a police officer who is a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) to be in charge of the drug war implementation. 

To recall, Garma in a House QuadComm hearing, said that in May 2016, Duterte called her seeking an INC member police officer who would lead the nationwide implementation of the Davao model which rewarded with cash the killing of drug personalities.

“I do not remember calling her and for what? Presidente ako. Nandiyan na ‘yun… lahat nasa akin na… [I was President, everyone was on my side],” Duterte said, answering a query of Senator Jinggoy Estrada in an ongoing hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee. 

“I hate to say this but nagsisinungaling ‘yang gagang ‘yan. Bakit ako mamili ng Iglesia ni Cristo? Eh di pati ang mga Aglipay isali ko nalang, ‘yung Mormons. Why would I zero in sa Iglesia ni Cristo? For what reason?”

(I hate to say this but that woman is lying. Why should I choose a member of Iglesia ni Cristo? I might have chosen Aglipays or Mormons, too. Why would I zero in on Iglesia ni Cristo? For what reason?) 

Duterte said he doesn't care about religion as long as the police force does its job. 

Garma, who also served as former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager, made a testimony about the so-called Davao Death Squad and her experiences on the cash rewards system for the killing of crime suspects when she was a police officer in the city.

She said that cash reward for the killing of drug suspects ranged from P20,000 to P1 million. 

Garma 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.

Duterte, in return, said it remained a “mystery” to him why Garma made such a statement, specifically regarding choosing an INC member to implement the war on drugs on a national scale. 

“Hanggang ngayon, hindi ko ma-fathom. So sabi ko, I don’t know, it’s a lie or making up stories. I don’t know what she’s driving at o ano ang gusto niyang ipalabas at the end of the story,” he said. 

(Until now, I could not fathom it. So I said, I don't know, maybe it's a lie or she was making up stories. I don't know what she's driving and what she wants to show at the end of the story.) 

He also denied the reward money for killing drug suspects.

“Bakit ako magbayad sa kanila, trabaho naman nila ‘yan? Kung may pera, ibulsa ko nalang. If there is a fund for that, why would I give it to them, trabaho nila ‘yan eh. The best that I could do minsan is pupunta ako, yaya ko sila magkain or kung may mga problema sila na personal,” Duterte said. 

(Why should I pay them if that's their job? If there's money, I'll just pocket it. If there is a fund for that, why would I give it to them if that's their job? The best that I could do was sometimes to visit them so we could eat together or ask if they have personal problems.) 

The Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee on Monday issued a subpoena ad testificandum to Garma, 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 Duterte administration. —LDF, GMA Integrated News