House to probe Garma’s ‘money laundering’ in United States

MANILA, Philippines — The next agenda for the House of Representatives quad committee when it holds its next hearing will focus on whether or not former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma used diplomatic channels to send millions of pesos to the United States.

“This is the burning question that lawmakers are determined to answer as the House quad comm intensifies its probe into Garma,” the House, through the chairpersons, vice chairs and members of the special panel, said in a statement.

Garma, a retired police colonel prior to her appointment as PCSO chief, is perceived to be close to Rodrigo Duterte, an observation she herself admitted before the panel, with her short reply of “maybe” every time she was asked about her relationship with the former president.

News of Garma sending “millions of pesos, (and) converted to dollars,” to her ex-husband police Col. Roland Vilela in the US using the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s diplomatic channels, cropped up during the hearing on Sept. 27.

Vilela served as a police attaché at the Philippine consulate general in Los Angeles, California from 2020 to 2022.

Garma has been implicated in allegations of extrajudicial killings that occurred during the previous administration’s brutal war on drugs.

These revelations suggested possible misuse of government resources, specifically the PNP’s diplomatic pouches intended for official communications and attaché salaries, with testimony from PNP officials indicating that these channels may have been exploited for personal financial gain.

Former PNP chief Benjamin Acorda Jr. admitted to the questioning of Antipolo City 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop, who is a lawyer and retired police general, that such a scheme would be possible.

Acorda confirmed that police attaché salaries and maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) were regularly sent through these channels.

“Yes, especially if there are some special occasions or visits and additional expenses that are incurred by our police attachés,” he said.

Acop pointed out the system’s vulnerability to misuse, asking if it could be used for personal transfers disguised as official ones.

“If