Former Davao City police station commander, Royina Garma, provided a detailed account of the national expansion of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial “Davao model” war on drugs during a House hearing on Friday night
Garma’s testimony, given before the House committees on public order, dangerous drugs, public accounts, and human rights, implicated high-profile figures, including Senator Bong Go, Duterte’s former presidential assistant, in the bloody police operations carried out under the drug war.
Garma, currently detained by the House since September 12 for providing evasive answers, testified under questioning from Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel that financial rewards tied to the drug war ranged from P20,000 to P1 million, depending on the target’s profile, with drug pushers at the lowest bracket.
In an affidavit read during the session, Garma recounted an early morning meeting with Duterte following his May 2016 election victory. In this meeting, Duterte asked her to identify a Philippine National Police (PNP) officer affiliated with the Iglesia ni Cristo who could implement the Davao model nationwide.
According to Garma, the model involved a reward system for both kills and operations, with additional compensation for operational expenses.
Visibly emotional during her testimony, Garma said she feared for her life and the safety of her loved ones.
She recounted how, after initially claiming she knew of no suitable officers, she eventually recommended former police colonel and now Napolcom Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo.
Leonardo would later lead a task force consisting of ex-police officers and private citizens that coordinated arrests and killings in line with the campaign.
Garma claimed that task force operations were overseen by Leonardo and that Senator Bong Go was regularly briefed on its activities. She also disclosed that a report detailing the task force’s structure and objectives was submitted to Go, and that the task force included former detainees and civilians with criminal backgrounds.
These revelations highlight the broader implications of the Duterte administration’s drug war and its continued influence on both the security and political landscapes in the Philippines.
On September 15, the International Criminal Court (ICC) pre-trial chamber authorized its Office of the Prosecutor to launch an official investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed in the Philippines between 2011 and 2019. These accusations stem from Duterte’s contentious “war on drugs” and include incidents in Davao during his tenure as the city’s vice mayor.
