File murder raps vs Garma, DOJ urged

MANILA, Philippines — Prosecutors from the Department of Justice (DOJ) have been urged to act quickly and file murder charges as soon as possible against the two alleged masterminds in the July 2020 killing of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga.

Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, presiding officer of the House of Representatives quad committee, advised government prosecutors to utilize the testimonies of two whistle-blowers in the case – police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza and drug informant Nelson Mariano.

“We are in close coordination with the DOJ. They have representatives monitoring our hearings precisely because we are unearthing evidence of criminal activities and other acts of wrongdoing in the course of our inquiry,” Barbers yesterday said.

“They (prosecutors) should interview our two witnesses and assess their testimonies,” Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, added, noting that retired police colonels Royina Garma and Edilberto Leonardo were implicated in the killing of Barayuga.

Garma and Leonardo – two of the closest and most trusted aides of former president Rodrigo Duterte – were appointed as general manager of the PCSO and commissioner of the National Police Commission, respectively.

Barbers said the DOJ should already take cognizance of Mendoza’s and Mariano’s testimonies and their affidavits and file murder charges against Garma and Leonardo as soon as possible.

“They do not have to wait for the report of the joint committee, which will include a recommendation to file such charges. The panel will take time to write the report since the inquiry is still ongoing,” Barber’s suggested.

Also yesterday, the lawmaker assured Barayuga’s family that the panel would leave no stone unturned to resolve his case and put behind bars the masterminds and perpetrators of the killing four years ago.

Barbers also thanked Barayuga’s family led by his wife Sarah for trusting the quad committee’s legislative inquiry for reopening and reinvestigating the case with new witnesses who could shed light on the plot to liquidate him.

Meanwhile, government prosecutors are in the process of