House panel orders NBI probe into 2016 Chinese drug lord killings

The House of Representatives quad-committee has directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the 2016 killings of three Chinese drug lords inside the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF).

The investigation is part of a larger probe into the war on drugs and extra-judicial killings during the Duterte administration.

Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop moved for the NBI investigation, which was approved by the panel's chair, Robert Ace Barbers.

The committee is primarily looking into the involvement of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma in the assassinations.

Garma, a former police colonel, had visited the penal colony in July 2016 and inquired about the whereabouts of the three drug lords.

Following her visit, an operation called "Oplan Galugad" was conducted, leading to the transfer of the three Chinese nationals to an isolation facility.