Garma: Duterte ordered Davao drug war template with kill incentives

Retired police colonel Royina Garma testified before the House of Representatives' quad committee, confirming a nationwide "Davao template" for the war on illegal drugs, which involved financial incentives for killing drug suspects.

Garma stated that former president Rodrigo Duterte personally instructed her in May 2016 to replicate the Davao model nationwide.

She submitted an affidavit directly implicating Duterte in orchestrating a campaign that led to extrajudicial killings (EJKs) of drug suspects during his term.

The "Davao Model" reportedly offered financial incentives ranging from P20,000 to P1 million for killing a suspect.

Garma mentioned that Rodrigo Duterte asked her to find a capable PNP officer or INC operative to implement the strategy nationally, leading her to recommend Edilberto Leonardo.

Leonardo, then chief of CIDG-Region 11, organized a select group of operatives to implement the drug war, and the CIDG-11 task force served as a hub for this reward-based operation.

Among the core operatives were Rommel Bactat, Rodel Cerbo, Michael Palma, and Lester Berganio, all former police officers stationed at the CIDG office.