‘Quad drug war evidence strong’

House leaders: Enough to implicate Go, Dela Rosa, Duterte admin

Leaders of the House Quad Committee said there was enough evidence to establish the participation of Senators Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go in the alleged drug war reward system under the Duterte administration, with the trail going all the way up to Malacañang.

“The evidence so far unearthed in the Quad Comm belies Senators Bato’s and Bong Go’s denials of EJK involvement and existence of the reward system that was public knowledge during the previous administration, particularly in the Philippine National Police,” said Sta. Rosa Rep. Dan Fernandez, chairman of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety.

“Not only did it exist – it was managed by higher-ups, meaning by Malacañang (Duterte administration),” Fernandez added.

He said at least two witnesses – retired police colonel and former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma and PNP Lt. Col. Jovie Espenido – testified that a scheme of payouts to hitmen neutralizing or killing drug suspects existed.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, overall leader of the Quad Comm and chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, cited Espenido’s testimony that millions, perhaps billions, of pesos in rewards “flowed from the level of Sen. Bong Go, a close aide of former President Rodrigo Duterte.”

Quoting Espenido, Barbers said the reward system was funded by money from jueteng and other illegal gambling activities, intelligence funds, PCSO’s small-town lottery (STL) operations, and POGOs.

“Our impression is that the intelligence funds came from the Office of the President and the PNP. When these funds are audited, we will find out who is telling the truth or lying: Sen. Bato and Sen. Bong Go, or Garma and Espenido,” Barbers said.

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said the testimonies established that in 2016, Dela Rosa and Go were seen in Duterte’s meeting with senior police officers, including Garma and retired police colonel and former Napolcom commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, in Davao City.

“The Davao City EJK template and reward system was discussed during the meeting. A few weeks later, the assassination of drug suspects in police operations and by riding-in-tandem hired guns started. It is not difficult to connect the dots,” Abante said, citing the testimonies during the Quad hearings.

For his part, House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan appealed for state protection to key witnesses in the Quad Committee’s ongoing probe.

“The appropriate agencies should safeguard resource persons or key witnesses who have offered testimonial evidence to the quad committee and who have clearly exposed themselves and their family members to grave danger,” Libanan said in a separate statement.

Libanan said witnesses such as Garma and alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa as well as their loved ones are now “extremely vulnerable to potential reprisals” given their testimonies.

Garma on Friday confirmed that former President 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.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Quad comm evidence holds more weight than Bato, Go’s denials — lawmakers.”