By JOSEPH ANTHONY A. DAMGO
A task force led by retired Police Col. Edilberto Leonardo, based at the regional office of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Davao City, was at the center of the Duterte administration’s reward-driven war on drugs, according to former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Royina Garma.
In her sworn affidavit submitted to the House Quad Committee, Garma detailed how financial rewards incentivized the killings of drug suspects, with a system in place that prioritized extrajudicial killings (EJKs) over arrests.
Garma, a retired police officer with close ties to Duterte, revealed that the controversial anti-drug campaign was carried out under the former president’s direct orders, with his trusted aide, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, and Leonardo playing key roles in its implementation.
Leonardo, then CIDG Region 11 chief, assembled a team of trusted operatives to carry out the drug war’s operations, patterned after the infamous “Davao Model” used during Duterte’s time as mayor—a system that rewarded police for killing drug suspects.
The group included Rommel Bactat, Rodel Cerbo, Michael Palma and Lester Berganio.
“Rommel Bactat, Rodel Cerbo, and Michael Palma were all former police officers stationed at the CIDG 11 Office,” Garma stated in her affidavit.
“They were discharged from service on or about a year ago due to an operation that led to the killing of one individual,” she added.
According to Garma, these operatives were tasked with gathering intelligence on drug suspects and compiling reports on arrests and killings.
These reports were processed by Berganio, who maintained a comprehensive list of drug personalities in the country.
The information was then elevated to Leonardo, who would determine the “level” of the operation and assign a corresponding reward.
“Rewards were only given for killings, while for arrests, only the funding of the COPLAN and a refund for the expenses was given,” Garma explained, referring to the case operation plan.
During a hearing on Friday, Garma told the Quad Committee that while she did not know the exact amounts, the cash rewards for drug-related killings ranged from P20,000 to P1 million, depending on the target.
A significant part of Garma’s testimony focused on the financial operations supporting the work of the Leonardo-led task force.
She disclosed that Peter Parungo, a former detainee cleared of a rape charge, managed the financial transactions related to the task force.
All funds for COPLAN, reimbursements for operational expenses, and rewards for agents were funneled through Parungo’s accounts at major Philippine banks.
“All COPLAN funds, refunds for operational expenses, and rewards for agents were processed through the bank accounts of Peter Parungo at Metrobank, BDO, and PS Bank,” Garma said.
While Parungo handled the finances, Berganio continued to maintain the list of drug personalities, ensuring that intelligence from police officers was properly compiled and delivered to Leonardo for final decisions.
Garma’s testimony also highlighted the links between the drug war and operations within the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), where some of the country’s most prominent drug lords were incarcerated.
“I was informed that the drug structure originated from BuCor, where numerous drug lords are currently incarcerated, and that it has three branches—Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao—with Peter Lim involved in the Visayas region,” Garma said.
This intelligence guided the task force’s operations, which focused on high-value targets involved in the illicit drug trade.
The task force not only conducted operations on the ground but also maintained a direct line to high-ranking officials.
Garma testified that Leonardo regularly briefed senior law enforcement officers, including those from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
More importantly, any killings that occurred during operations were reported directly to Go, who was then the Special Assistant to the President.
“Leonardo conducted briefings for all PDEA, IG (Intelligence Group), Regional Directors, and PNP Chiefs regarding operations,” Garma explained. “Additionally, if any individual died during police operations, Leonardo reported the incident to Bong Go for inclusion in his weekly report and requests for refunds of operational expenses.”
Garma’s affidavit further revealed that Leonardo had full control over the list of drug personalities targeted by the task force.
According to her, Leonardo had the authority to decide who would be included on the list, classify their threat levels, and remove individuals from the list as needed.
In the initial section of her affidavit, Garma recounted that in May 2016, shortly after Duterte assumed the presidency, he tasked her with finding a PNP officer to spearhead the nationwide implementation of the war on drugs.
She ultimately recommended her upperclassman, Leonardo, who became a central figure in organizing the nationwide anti-drug campaign.
After Leonardo’s retirement from the police force, Duterte appointed him as Undersecretary at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and later as Commissioner of the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
However, Napolcom Vice Chair Alberto Bernardo informed the Quad Committee during Friday’s hearing that Leonardo had recently resigned from his post amid the ongoing EJK probe.
For his part, panel co-chair and House Committee on Human Rights Chair Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr., urged Garma to "reveal all she knows about EJKs and identify those who ordered the killings, who carried out the orders, who are all those involved.”
“Retired Colonel Garma’s explosive testimony last Friday linking former President Duterte and his close aide Sen. Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go to extrajudicial killings during the previous administration could be just the tip of the iceberg. This is just the beginning of a deeper inquiry into a more alarming issue: the alleged participation of higher officials in EJKs. There is much more to uncover, and we are committed to getting to the bottom of these serious allegations," said the lawmaker.
Abante vowed the Quad Comm “will not stop until all the facts are laid bare because this is about accountability, from the lowest office to the highest post.”
“As she has declared, the truth will set her free. We welcome such a declaration, and we hope she would begin to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. She should not cover up the sins of her former superiors, the former president included,” added the representative from Manila.
For his part, Surigao Del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the lead presiding officer of Quad Comm, said among the issues he personally is interested in knowing is if the supposed directive to assassinate retired police general and PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga in July 2020 came from Garma or from Duterte.
He said that as of now, the testimony from retired colonel and National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo points to Garma as the individual who ordered the “operation” on Barayuga and his inclusion in the Duterte administration's drug list.
Former colonel and National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo and Garma are graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA).
A PNPA junior graduate, Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza, told the Quad Comm that Leonardo asked him to look for a hitman that would carry out the assassination of Barayuga.
Mendoza said he requested Nelson Mariano, a drug informant of his, to contact a hired killer. The latter reached out to a certain “Loloy” to kill Barayuga.
On the day of the assassination, Mariano said he and Loloy received real-time information on Barayuga’s movement, including a photograph of the late PCSO board secretary supposedly taken by Garma attending a PCSO board meeting, as well as the details of the vehicle the late PCSO board secretary would be using.
The information was sent by a certain “Toks,” supposedly a close aide of Garma. Mariano said it was Toks who also gave him P300,000 as payment for the task they carried out.
The retired general was killed not far from the PCSO office in Mandaluyong City.
“We want retired Col. Garma to comment on the detailed testimonies of Lt. Colonel Mendoza and Mr. Mariano, and of course on other EJK cases,” Barbers said.
Barbers added that since Garma has denied any hand in Barayuga’s murder, “she should reveal who ordered it.”
“She should also tell us what she knows about the murder of three Chinese drug lords inside the Davao prison in August 2016. She has been implicated by at least three witnesses,” pointed out Barbers.
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