House QuadComm on Grijaldo’s statement: “We will not take that sitting down”

The House Quad Committee will “not take sitting down” the statements made by Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo during the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee probe on the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Sta. Rosa, Laguna Representative Dan Fernandez, one of the co-chairpersons of the QuadComm, said the panel will take a collective action against Grijaldo for alleging that he was told to confirm the reward system for police officials who kill drug suspects.

“Well, panindigan niya kung anong magiging repercussions sa kanya dahil nga we will not take that sitting down. Of course, ‘yung kanyang affidavit na kinoerced, hinarass, and under oath siya, mabigat ‘yon,” he said.

(He should face the repercussions of what he said because we will not take that sitting down. Of course, in his affidavit he said that he was coerced, harassed, that carries weight because he was under oath.)

“We will have a collective action because the integrity of the QuadComm is at stake here, and we have done nothing wrong. It is incumbent upon the leadership of the QuadComm, as well as the House, to take action on this because Grijaldo is under preventive suspension due to his alleged involvement in the death of Barayuga. Since he was relieved [from his post], somehow you can relate that he's  doing this because he is trying to get even with us,” Fernandez added.  

The lawmaker was referring to former PCSO Board Secretary Wesley Barayuga, who was shot dead in Mandaluyong City in July 2020. 

Fernandez and Manila Rep. Benny Abante, also a QuadComm co-chair, said Grijaldo lied before the Senate subcommittee because it was not the House panel, but Colonel Royina Garma, who sought Grijaldo to confirm her testimony on the drug war. 

“We called for a meeting with him but not on our own volition, because it was Colonel Garma who asked us to talk to Colonel Grijaldo because Colonel Grijaldo, according to Colonel Garma, is a friend of hers, [at] siya [ang] makakapag-confirm sa supplemental affidavit [niya]. So sabi namin, tamang-tama nandiyan si Colonel Grijaldo [sa QuadComm hearing], tawagin na natin,” Fernandez said.

He said present during the meeting were him, QuadComm lead chair Rep. Ace Barbers, Garma’s two lawyers and Grijaldo.

The police official, however, said during the meeting that he does not know about the content of Garma’s supplemental affidavit that detailed the reward system.

 “I told him (Grijaldo), Colonel Garma said you can confirm the reward system, and he said, wala po kaming alam diyan. But to say we coerced and harassed him...we cannot do that. It will be against our procedure. He said that he was coerced, harassed under oath, and that will have repercussions. We will not take that sitting down,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez and Abante reiterated that QuadComm only agreed to call Grijaldo because of Garma’s request.  

“We did not force him to meet with us. We sought him out because of what Colonel Garma said to us [that he can corroborate], and that he was her classmate. I don’t know if this is his tactic, but the fact remains that he was the chief of police in Mandaluyong where General Barayuga was shot dead. Where is his report on that?” Abante said.

“Wala. Walang report, walang police report. Anong ibig sabihin ito? Ang sabi ni Colonel Garma, marami siyang alam. Anong ginawa niya (There was no police report. Colonel Garma said he knows a lot. But what did he do)?” he added.

Fernandez also said that even without Grijaldo’s confirmation, Garma’s affidavit was already confirmed by the earlier testimonies of at least three individuals: persons deprived of liberty Fernando Magdadaro, Leopoldo Tan Jr., and Jimmy Fortaleza, and former Davao Prison and Penal Farm warden Gerardo Padilla.—AOL, GMA Integrated News