Mandaluyong court orders arrest of ex-PCSO GM Garma over 2020 killing

A Mandaluyong court has issued arrest warrants for former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma and four others in connection with the 2020 killing of PCSO Board Secretary Wesley Barayuga.

The accused face non-bailable charges of murder and frustrated murder for the shooting incident which left Barayuga's driver injured.

Also named in the arrest order are Edilberto Leonardo, Jeremy Causapin, Santie Mendoza, and Nelson Mariano.

Barayuga was fatally shot on July 30, 2020, in Mandaluyong City while riding in a vehicle, by a gunman on a motorcycle.

These charges stem from the testimony of a police officer who came forward last year, implicating Garma and Leonardo in the assassination.

One of the three implicated police officers has been dismissed from service, one is under the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit, and the other has resigned, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The PNP is coordinating with the Bureau of Immigration to verify reports that some of the accused may have left the country.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla stated that the arrest warrant for Garma will not affect her testimony against former president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC).