Chasing Garma: Will murder complaint over Barayuga killing deport her?

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Retired police colonel and former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma is now facing murder and frustrated murder complaints over the five-year-old killing case of her fellow retired police officer and PCSO official Wesley Barayuga.

But Garma is in the United States and is detained there over a money laundering case filed sometime in November 2024, Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla confirmed to Rappler in a phone call on Tuesday, February 4.

“She cannot be extradited yet until her case [in the US] has been concluded,” the interior chief said. Rappler has sought clarification from Garma’s camp. We will update this story once they respond.

Here in Manila, a joint team of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed the criminal suits against Garma with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday, February 3.

Interior Secretary Remulla’s pronouncement implies that the Philippine case won’t prosper for now.

The other Remulla, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla was looking last year at the possibility of invoking the Philippines and US Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.

The agreement says that the Philippines and the US “shall provide mutual assistance, in accordance with the provisions of this Treaty, in connection with the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of criminal offenses, and in proceedings related to criminal matters.”

Bringing Garma home to face the murder complaints won’t be fast nor smooth.

Coming home

For one, it was Garma’s choice to fly to the United States even if her US visa had been canceled before. Garma was arrested by US authorities when she arrived in California and was placed under their custody. She was able to fly because she did not have any criminal suit at the time, and therefore had no hold departure order.

The choice to fly to the US is curious, however, because earlier in August, an attempt to go there was already blocked because her visa was canceled without her knowledge. The cancellation was possibly due to US sanctions on human rights violators. Garma had been named as one of the officers of Rodrigo Duterte’s alleged Davao Death Squad.

Before she went to the US, where she was apprehended upon landing, Garma had made the startling confession to the House of Representatives that Duterte asked her to design the reward system of the war on drugs — accusations that Duterte denied in parts.

Ideally, Garma should return home to be able to defend herself, through the filing of her counter-affidavit. Garma can do that from abroad if she can notarize her affidavit within a Philippine jurisdiction, which can include the Philippine embassy in the US, Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon explained.

Her return is vital because if prosecutors decide to pursue the charges in court without her in the country, the court may eventually decide to archive the case against her because she would not have had the chance to explain herself to the judge.

Garma’s former husband, Police Colonel Vilela, was a police attaché at the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, California. During the quad committee hearings, Garma was interrogated over allegedly suspicious overseas transactions between the ex-couple. It is unclear if this is related to the money laundering case against Garma in the US.

The case

Also named in the complaints here against Garma were retired police colonel and National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, whistleblower Police Lieutenant Colonel Santie Mendoza, another witness Nelson Mariano, and Jeremy Causapin or “Toks.”

The complaints were the results of the probe of the NBI and PNP, following a directive from Justice Secretary Remulla to investigate what had become a cold case.

Meanwhile, both Mendoza and Mariano were recommended by the joint team as state witnesses for the case. Typically, to be a state witness, the person should not appear to be the most guilty in the case. among other requirements.

Mendoza told the quad committee that it was Leonardo who informed him about the operation against Barayuga, claiming it was an anti-drug operation. In these conversations, the supposed intelligence against Barayuga was attributed to Garma, who is known for her deep ties to then-president Duterte.

The quad committee hearings would also reveal that Barayuga was added to the drug watch list only after his killing, inviting more scrutiny on the irregularity of the drug war.

Mariano assisted Mendoza in executing the crime, while Causapin was the one who gave the P300,000 payment from Garma for the killing.

Barayuga was killed in the middle of a probe into alleged corruption inside the PCSO, and prior to the ambush, Barayuga had said that he was ready to testify in the probe.

Barayuga is part of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Matikas Class of 1983. Being a PMA alumni has its perks, which in this case implied that there would be pressure to resolve the murder case quickly. But the case remained unsolved for years until 2024 when Duterte was already on the hot seat. And Mendoza broke his silence. – Rappler.com