MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives “quad committee” ordered the detention of a retired police colonel, who was an alleged member of the Davao Death Squad (DDS), for supposedly evading questions during a probe on Thursday, September 12.
The House’s mega-panel cited retired police colonel Royina Garma in contempt and ordered her detention within House premises. Abang Lingkod Representative Joseph Stephen Paduano moved to cite Garma in contempt after he asked the retired cop whether she was “special or close” to former president Rodrigo Duterte or not. Garma hesitated to answer at first, but later responded with “no”.
Paduano then pushed for the contempt later approved by the mega-panel. Garma burst into tears after hearing Paduano’s motion. At first, the lawmakers suggested to detain the former cop in the women’s correctional facility in Mandaluyong or in Philippine National Police Custodial Center, citing lack of available space in the House. The lawmakers later decided to detain her instead within the House premises.
Garma, who also served as Cebu City police chief and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager under Duterte, was invited by the House quad committee looking into extrajudicial killings and the drug war after she was implicated by persons deprived of liberty (PDL) in the killing of three Chinese drug lords in Davao City. The retired female cop is known to have close ties with Duterte after serving for years in Davao.
In his affidavit submitted to the International Criminal Court, self-confessed DDS member Arturo Lascañas alleged that Garma was also a DDS member.
PDLs Leopoldo Tan Jr. and Fernando “Andy” Magdadaro, in their affidavits submitted to the mega-panel, claimed that Duterte and other officials were allegedly involved in the killings of Chu Kin Tung, alias Tony Lim; Li Lan Yan, alias Jackson Li; and Wong Meng Pin, alias Wang Ming Ping, who were detained at the maximum security facility of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Davao del Norte.
Garma is said to be Arthur Narsolis’ boss, the cop who gave the kill order to Tan and Magdadaro. The then-prison chief, Corrections Senior Superintendent Gerardo Padilla, said last week that Garma allegedly threatened him not to intervene in the operation against the Chinese drug lords.
It was the first time that Garma has attended the probe after snubbing the inquiries in the previous weeks. The House issued a subpoena against her a few weeks ago to compel her attend the hearings.
Before the hearing ended, a crying Garma pleaded before the mega-panel to lift her detention saying she has a daughter waiting for her at home. She appealed for the sake of her daughter, whom she said was in urgent need of her care.
The lawmakers rejected her appeal and stood by their detention order. Representative Dan Fernandez instead moved to bring Garma’s daughter to the House facilities in the Batasang Pambansa. – Rappler.com