Retired col Royina Garma testifies Duterte asked for INC member in 2016 drug war task force

Retired police colonel Royina Garma testified before the House of Representatives' quad committee that former President Rodrigo Duterte called her last Thursday, October 17, to explain his reasons for requesting an Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) member for the nationwide task force on the war on drugs.

During Tuesday's hearing, Garma revealed that Duterte had previously asked her in May 2016 to find a police officer who is an INC member to oversee the nationwide implementation of the Davao model, which rewarded drug-related killings with cash.

Garma testified that during their one-minute phone call on October 17, Duterte explained his trust in Edilberto Leonardo by stating that INC members can be trusted with money matters.

Committee chair Joserey Castro and Deputy Minority Leader France Castro questioned whether this implied that money was given to Leonardo as rewards in the drug war. Garma confirmed there were three modes of payment: for every suspect killed, for planned operations, and refunding operational expenses.

Leonardo denied Garma's claims during the same hearing, stating that she may have more knowledge about the task force's operations than him, while Garma told the quad committee on Tuesday that Duterte did not make any appeal to stop her from telling the truth.