By Ade S. Fajardo
In September last year, former Police Colonel Royina Garma, who earned her spurs as a policewoman in Davao City, was reported to have been meeting with International Criminal Court (ICC) officials in Malaysia.
She was then supposedly being considered as a potential witness in the ongoing prosecution for “crimes against humanity” versus former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In 2024, Garma testified before the quad committee of the House of Representatives about how the former president implemented a reward system in his deadly war on drugs.
***
Fast forward to today, two incumbent senators are named as Duterte’s co-perpetrators in the document containing the charges against him.
Senators Ronald dela Rosa and Christopher Go are among eight Duterte functionaries listed as the people who helped implement the drug war. The names are found in a document posted on the ICC website.
Bong Go claims in a statement that he was simply doing his job in accordance with human and divine law, and that his only mission is to help his fellow Filipinos, especially those who are poor and have no one else to turn to but the government.
***
In her testimony before the quad comm in 2024, Garma alleged that the idea of expanding the Davao template of the war on drugs came from Duterte himself when he was about to take over the presidency in May 2016.
Garma added that Bong Go facilitated the meeting between Duterte and PNPA classes 1996 and 1997 at the DPWH building in Panaca, Davao City, a few days before he officially assumed as president in July 2016.
This meeting resulted in a select class of police officials being tapped to implement the Davao template of the drug war.
***
Garma’s quad comm affidavit contains the names of people assigned to implement the Davao model.
According to her, periodic reports were submitted to Bong Go detailing the killings of drug personalities, including requests for refunds for expenses.
***
The ICC document contains the charges against the former president.
One of the incidents specified in his indictment is the prison killing of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa and Raul Yap in the Leyte Sub-Provincial Jail in Baybay, Leyte. They were both listed as high-value targets and drug lords on Duterte’s drug List.
Another incident is the massacre of Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, Sr. and several other individuals.
According to the ICC prosecutor, “the murders were committed after Duterte had claimed during [an August 7, 2016] televised press conference that Mayor Parojinog was involved in the illegal drug trade. Mayor Parojinog was listed as a ‘high-value target’ and drug ‘protector’ on the PRRD list.”
***
The confirmation of charges hearing will finally greenlight the trial of the ICC charges against Duterte.
Meanwhile, the possible indictment and subsequent issuance of warrants of arrest against his co-perpetrators will significantly affect the Senate minority.
Garma is a crucial witness whose testimony abroad can help tilt the balance in the 2028 national elections./WDJ