The House Quad Committee intends to tap the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to probe the alleged misuse of intelligence funds to reward cops for every drug suspect killed during the Duterte administration.
“We just want to follow the money trail and find out who the mastermind is,” Quad Committee co-chairman and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said.
“We are also now asking the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice to start investigating and prosecuting based on whatever evidence they may use from the hearings,” he added.
When asked about the timeline and the scope of the investigation, Abante underscored the importance of uncovering the use of confidential funds from 2016 to 2022.
“We’d like to find out how much confidential funds were obtained during the administration of the former President. Let’s take a closer look if the intel funds really contributed toward the reward system. That’s what we want to see here,” Abante said.
As the investigation continues, connections between the intel funds, Small Town Lottery (STL), POGOs and the drug war reward system are expected to surface, he said.
Retired police colonel and former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma last week testified before the House Quad Committee that former President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the implementation “on a national scale” of the so-called “Davao template” that rewarded cops for every drug suspect killed.
Garma revealed three modes of payment or rewards: first, for every suspect killed; second for the planned operations; and third, for the refund of operational expenses.
Details about specific bank accounts and transactions will also be pursued based on revelations from witnesses like Garma, Abante said.
Based on testimonies Quad Committee has received, cash incentives of up to P1 million were paid to policemen and hired guns who killed high-profile drug suspects.
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