Quad Comm co-chair Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. of Manila on Friday pressed former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and now Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa to reveal the legal basis for the release of additional allowances for police involved in the previous administration's war on drugs.
Abante, chairman of the House Committee on Human Rights, scored what he said was a desperate attempt to disguise the amounts paid out to police officers as part of the "rewards system" patterned after the "Davao model" that incentivized the killing of those suspected of dealing and using drugs—a system that resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians.
"Kung totoo mang allowances ito, it raises more questions than answers. May memo ba ito from the PNP? May approval ba ito ng relevant government agencies like DBM? Dumaan ba ito sa Kongreso, kasi kung totoong intel funds ito, pondo ito ng bayan,”Abante said.
PCSO General Manager Royina Garma had earlier confirmed in her testimony the existence of a "rewards system" for drug kills allegedly patterned after the "Davao model."
According to Garma, the directive to implement the system came straight from former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Garma claimed that the alleged cash rewards were funneled through the country's banking system and involved personalities in the office of former Special Assistant to the President and now Sen. Bong Go.
Abante explained, "While Sen. Dela Rosa clarified that the cash disbursements were intended to support police operational needs such as meals and transportation, the Quad Comm stresses that this admission raises critical questions about transparency and accountability."
"Assuming that these are allowances, then Sen. Bato needs to answer these questions: were there safeguards in place to ensure these allowances were used for legitimate operational needs? How was the distribution of these funds monitored to prevent misuse or the incentivization of violence?" asked Abante.
The lawmaker added that "as the former PNP chief, Sen. Dela Rosa must further elaborate on the systems implemented by the PNP during his tenure to prevent abuses by officers who may have interpreted these cash payments as rewards for aggressive action."
The Quad Comm will tap the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to ascertain if Garma's statements were true when she told the mega panel that a certain Peter Parungo processed the rewards for alleged drug kills through his bank accounts in Metrobank, BDO, and PS Bank.
"Totoo ba itong sinasabi ni Sen. Dela Rosa, or is this simply an attempt to distance the program from accusations of extrajudicial killings? The truth will eventually come out," said Abante.
"Mas dumami ang ating tanong kay Sen. Bato. Sana dumalo na lang siya sa ating mga hearings para under oath ang kanyang lahat ng statements. Baka kasi i-deny niya ang mga sinabi niya ngayon sa mga susunod na pagkakataon,” Abante said.
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