The House of Representatives’ Quad Committee is probing deeper into ex-Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Royina Garma’s alleged use of diplomatic channels to send millions to her former husband when he was assigned in the United States.
During the committee’s Sept. 27 hearing, new details emerged about Garma’s alleged misuse of diplomatic channels to transmit huge sums of money to her husband, Police Col. Roland Vilela while he was serving as a police attaché at the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, California between 2020 and 2022.
The revelations suggest possible misuse of government resources, specifically the PNP’s diplomatic pouches intended for official communications and attaché salaries, with testimony from PNP officials indicating these channels may have been exploited for personal financial gain.
A diplomatic pouch is any properly identified and sealed package or container that is used to transport official correspondence, documents, and other articles intended for official use by embassies, and are not subject to customs and other searches by the host government.
The latest accusation came even as Garma is being linked to the executions of several foreign drug personalities and the murder of another PCSO official who threatened to expose corruption in the agency.
Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop’s intense questioning of former and current PNP officials, including then-chief of the Directorate for Intelligence and later PNP chief Benjamin Acorda Jr., showed the possibility that the PNP’s diplomatic pouch system was used to funnel “personal” funds to Vilela.
Acorda confirmed that police attaché salaries and maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) were regularly sent through those channels.
Acop raised the system’s vulnerability to misuse, asking if it could be used for personal transfers disguised as official ones.
“Yes, Your Honor, to my understanding,” Acorda told Acop.
Meanwhile, Acop, also a retired police general, grilled Vilela, asking him about the money other than his salary that he received through the MOOE.
Vilela responded that aside from his P120,000 monthly pay, he also received as police attaché.
Police Captain Delfinito Anuba, Vilela’s errand man, was responsible for converting pesos into dollars and sending them to Vilela in the U.S.
When asked if he had converted pesos to dollars, Anuba confirmed, “Yes, Sir,” and detailed the process, explaining that he collected the funds from Garma’s security team, specifically Sgt. Enecito Ubales Jr.
Ubales is Garma’s first cousin.
Anuba said he would get the fund at the PCSO building, and that he converted P30 million and P20 million into dollars on two occasions.
Ubales denied any involvement.
The Quad Comm ordered Ubales’ detention at Quezon City Jail until the investigation conclusion.
The probe on Garma is significant given her connections to former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Her relationship raised more questions about her influence within the PNP and her appointment as PCSO chief in 2019 after early retirement from police service.
Garma left the PCSO in 2022.
Lawmakers cited Duterte’s long-time aide, Senator Christopher Go, facilitated Garma’s application for the PCSO post.
At least four witnesses have implicated Garma in giving orders to kill three suspected Chinese drug lords at a Davao prison in 2016 during the early stages of the Duterte’s drug war.
Witnesses also accused Garma of orchestrating the July 2020 murder of PCSO board secretary and retired police general Wesley Barayuga.
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