Duterte-appointed PCSO exec hired seven family members

MANILA, Philippines — Retired police chief Royina Garma on Friday, September 27, confirmed to lawmakers that she hired seven family members when she was the general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in 2019. 

At the House quadcom’s seventh public hearing, Rep. Dan Fernandez (Santa Rosa, Lone District) asked Garma how many relatives she employed at the PCSO.

“During the time you were the general manager of PCSO, do you remember that you have appointed several members of your family? How many?” Fernandez asked. 

It took Garma some time to respond as she was trying to recall how many, but Fernandez pressed her.

The former PCSO general manager fumbled with her words and then said it was “more or less five, I’m sure more than five.” 

However, Fernandez said it was seven, which Garma confirmed when the lawmaker mentioned seven names of her relatives. 

This included her first cousins, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, even her daughter. The positions they took were that of a nurse, IT consultant, admin officer, private secretary and researcher. 

Fernandez surprised Garma when he asked if she hired her daughter as a confidential agent at PCSO. 

Garma confirmed this as well and began answering defensively when Fernandez mentioned her daughter’s mental disorders. 

“You appointed your daughter, who is sick, as a confidential agent? And do you know the meaning of confidential agent? Why did you appoint your daughter if she’s sick?” he asked. 

She explained that her daughter’s conditions include dyslexia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar and depression, which are not diseases.

Garma justified appointing her daughter as a confidential agent by saying that she is “very competent in report writing and editing communications,” and was entrusted to write articles in high school.  

However, these were not the qualifications required of a confidential agent, which Fernandez pointed out. 

Qualification of a confidential agent. The lawmaker raised a printed screenshot of the requirements and enumerated that a confidential agent must first have a criminal justice degree. 

The second qualification Fernandez said is previous experience