By JOSEPH ANTHONY A. DAMGO
THE House Quad Committee has ramped up its investigation into the origins of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s controversial war on drugs, focusing on a critical June 28, 2016 meeting in Davao City—just days before he assumed the presidency.
The meeting, held on the second floor of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) building, gathered members of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Classes of 1996 and 1997, many of whom played significant roles in Duterte’s anti-drug operations during his tenure as mayor of Davao City.
Lawmakers have questioned whether this gathering played a pivotal role in shaping the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs, particularly through discussions of the so-called “Davao Template,” a strategy widely regarded as the blueprint for Duterte’s aggressive crackdown on illegal drugs first implemented in Davao City.
A resource person confirmed that then-incoming Special Assistant to the President, now Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, was at the venue but did not participate in the meeting. While there were reports that incoming Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa was also present, none of the resource persons have confirmed this.
Dela Rosa, now a senator, also issued a statement denying his attendance at the meeting.
During last Friday’s hearing of the committee, retired Police Colonels Royina Garma and Edilberto Leonardo confirmed the meeting, which they called a “courtesy call” on Duterte, but gave conflicting accounts.
While Garma, a member of PNPA Class 1997, admitted that the "Davao Template" was mentioned, Leonardo of PNPA Class 1996 denied recalling any discussion on the controversial strategy.
Garma and Leonardo are among the Davao police officers believed to be close to Duterte, aside from then-Davao City police chief Dela Rosa, whom Duterte appointed as his first PNP chief and tasked with implementing the former president’s drug war, which has been widely criticized for human rights violations.
Duterte later appointed Garma as general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), while Leonardo was appointed undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) before assuming his current post as commissioner of the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
During the hearing, Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano directly questioned Garma and Leonardo about the meeting and whether the "Davao Template" was discussed.
He pressed Garma for clarity, asking, "Did you talk something about that war on drugs? Sabihin na nating Davao Template?"
Garma responded, "May napag-usapan po but it's not in-depth, it's just passing, Mr. Chair."
Paduano further emphasized, "What I'm saying is Ma’am, diretso lang po, nag-usap ba kayo tungkol doon sa Davao Template, yes or no?"
Garma confirmed, "Napag-usapan din po."
However, when Paduano directed the same question to Leonardo, asking, "Napag-usapan niyo ba don sa ‘96 yung Davao Template?" Leonardo answered, "Mr. Chair, di ko po ma-recall ‘yung Davao Template."
Paduano also asked whether Go and Dela Rosa were present during the meeting. Garma replied, "Wala akong naalalang pumunta si General Bato at saka si Senator Bong Go dun sa aming room," confirming that the two officials were not in the room where PNPA Class of 1997 had gathered.
Leonardo, on the other hand, recalled seeing Go but could not confirm Dela Rosa’s presence.
“Ang alam ko, sir, lumabas po kami sa corridor. Then we met Sen. Bong Go during that time," Leonardo said. However, he added that he could not recall if Go was present in the meeting itself.
The committee also questioned Col. Hector Grijaldo Jr., a member of PNPA Class 1997, who was present at the meeting but denied discussing the "Davao Template."
Paduano put this on record, stating, "So you contradict the statement of Ms. Garma?" Grijaldo replied, "Yes, Mr. Chair."
Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop joined the questioning, focusing on the purpose of the gathering and whether it was merely a courtesy call or a more strategic meeting.
He asked Garma to confirm if the meeting she organized involved discussions about the "Davao Template," to which Garma replied, "Napag-usapan po, kasi halo-halo na po ‘yung pinag-uusapan namin, Mr. Chair."
Acop, however, pointed out the inconsistencies between Garma and Leonardo’s statements.
“Either of you, ikaw at si Madam Garma, ang nagsisinungaling kasi hindi pwedeng nagsisinungaling kayong parehas,” Acop, who is vice chair of all four House panels comprising the Quad Committee, told Leonardo.
Paduano, in a manifestation, noted the connection between the June 28, 2016, meeting and a series of killings that followed shortly after the launch of Duterte’s war on drugs.
He pointed to a pattern of violence in correctional facilities, specifically mentioning incidents in the Davao prison where suspected Chinese drug lords were killed, the killing of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. inside a Leyte jail after being tagged by Duterte as a drug lord, and the Parañaque jail blast that killed 10 drug-related inmates.
Paduano also stated that the committee now possesses records of additional killings in Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facilities, further underscoring the widespread violence linked to the anti-drug campaign.
Paduano is chairman of the Committee on Accounts, one of the four House panels that make up the Quad Committee, along with the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, and Human Rights.
The mega-panel is investigating the interconnections between illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), the proliferation of the illicit drug trade, land grabbing by some Chinese nationals, and the alleged extrajudicial killings linked to Duterte’s war on drugs.
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