Grijaldo claims House panel chairs told him to confirm war on drugs rewards

Former Mandaluyong City Police chief Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo claimed on Monday that at least two co-chairpersons of the House Quad Committee directed him to confirm before the panel the existence of a reward system during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Grijaldo, a former classmate of Royina Garma in the Philippine National Police Academy, told the Senate blue ribbon committee that Santa Rosa, Laguna Representative Dan Fernandez called him inside a room along with Manila Rep. Benny Abante and Garma’s lawyers last October 22.

“When I entered the room, I saw two lawyers of Police Colonel Garma, standing inside the room. One of the lawyers approached me and then asked me, ‘What are we going to talk about?’ I said, ‘I do not know,’” he read his affidavit.

“After a while, Cong. Dan Fernandez entered the room and he asked me to sit beside him on his right side and Cong. Abante entered the room, sat far…Cong. Dan Fernandez put the paper he was holding on the table and told me, ‘Ito ang sasabihin mong statement na ito”, while pointing on the paragraph on the paper, ‘Ito ang supplemental affidavit ni Colonel Garma, sabihin mong alam mo ang reward system. I-confirm mo lang,’” he further said.

“Cong. Dan told me to read the said affidavit. However, I asked for the copy of the affidavit he was showing to me. He did not give it to me. The lawyer of police colonel Garma said, ‘Ikaw lang ang pwedeng magsabi niyan sabi ni Col. Garma. I was puzzled and asked myself, ‘Why me?’...We went silent for a while.”

Garma earlier told the QuadComm that there was a cash reward paid per killing in the Duterte administration's war on drugs ranging from P20,000 to P1 million.

Further, Grijaldo said that Abante was trying to persuade him to do their directive. But he said that he personally did not experience receiving any form of rewards when he was still the Mandaluyong City Police chief. 

“I served as a COP in Mandaluyong during the COVID-19 pandemic and there were less crimes committed. And we did not receive any reward from anyone,” the police official said.  “I added that we only received funds, additional MOA or support fund. And I have no personal knowledge as to the reward system.” 

After hearing his affidavit, Senator Ronald Dela Rosa asked Grijaldo if he felt harassed by the two congressmen and he replied: “It's an harassment and very offensive, Your Honor…..At that time, I was wearing my uniform.” 

“Parang gusto nilang magsisinungaling ako, your honor (It seemed that they wanted me to tell lies),” he added.

Sought for comment, Fernandez said that Grijaldo’s claims were not true. 

“Lies. True, pinatawag siya because the lawyer of Col. Garma told us na may alam siya sa reward system.  We never asked him to sign any affidavit, we asked him if he had any knowledge about what Col. Garma talked about,” he told GMA News Online. 

(Lies. It’s true that I summoned him because the lawyer of Col. Garma told us that he has knowledge on the reward system. We never asked him to sign any affidavit, we just asked him if he had any knowledge about what Col. Garma talked about.) 

“Col. Garma said to us that Col. Grijaldo can confirm the truthfulness of her affidavit and she [sent] her two lawyers to witness the conversation,” the lawmaker said.—AOL, GMA Integrated News