Police Colonel Grijaldo now detained in Batasan

Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo is now detained in the House of Representatives due to a contempt order against him over repeated failure to show up before the QuadComm probe into drug war deaths, House QuadComm lead chairperson Ace Barbers said Monday.

Barbers said that Grijaldo was nabbed during his check up in a hospital last December 14.

"Colonel Grijaldo has been detained in the House of Representatives detention center since December 14. We sought assistance from the Philippine National Police and Sergeant at Arms in implementing the contempt and arrest order," Barbers told reporters in a chance interview.

"He said since he is in a hospital so he wants to be under hospital arrest. Of course, we did not allow that because he is ambulatory. Puede siya lumabas. Puede siya maglakad [He can go out, he can walk]. And so we implemented the arrest order [that came with contempt order]," Barbers added.

Earlier, Grijaldo was cited in contempt for failure to show up before the QuadComm probe for at least four times, supposedly due to a shoulder ailment.

Doctors from the House of Representatives and the police ranks, however, have both testified that Grijaldo’s ailment won’t hamper him in terms of answering questions during the probe.

Grijaldo earlier accused the QuadComm of forcing him to confirm the testimony of Police Colonel Royina Garma that then-President Rodrigo Duterte implemented a drug war that rewarded police with cash per drug suspect killed.

QuadComm members and Garma’s lawyers have denied Grijaldo's claims.

Santa Rosa lawmaker Dan Fernandez, in denying Grijaldo’s statement made before the Senate probe, even said that the police official showed up during QuadComm’s verification of Garma’s testimony on the request of Garma, not of the QuadComm members.

“He was there because Colonel Garma told us he would know about what she is testifying on,” Fernandez said.

Barbers said Grijaldo has a lot to explain about the 2020 slay of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Board Secretary Wesley Barayuga.

“He (Grijaldo) should explain why there was no action on the Barayuga’s slay when he was the Mandaluyong [city] police chief,” Barbers said, referring to the area where Barayuga was killed. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News