Panelo calls Garma's drug war claims pure imagination

Former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo dismissed retired Police Colonel Royina Garma's claims of a payment and rewards system for killing drug suspects during the Duterte administration as "pure imagination or fertile speculation."

Garma had told the House Quad Committee that former President Rodrigo Duterte asked her to implement the "Davao model" of the war on drugs on a national scale, a system where one could receive up to P1 million for killing drug suspects.

Panelo questioned the timing of Garma's alleged meeting, stating it occurred in May 2016, a month before Duterte officially assumed office in July 2016.

He suggested Garma might have been pressured or threatened into making these allegations.

Panelo reiterated his doubt regarding Garma's firsthand knowledge, arguing that if she declined involvement in the alleged "Davao model," she could not possess personal knowledge of its supposed operations.

He concluded that Garma's information about the alleged plan to fight illegal drugs is merely hearsay.