Police colonel close to Royina Garma ordered detained anew

MANILA, Philippines – A colonel close to retired police colonel Royina Garma was ordered arrested again by the House of Representatives’ quad committee.

Quad committee’s vice chairperson and Antipolo City 2nd District Representative Romeo Acop, on Tuesday, January 21, moved to cite in contempt and order the detention of Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo during the mega-panel’s inaugural hearing this year. The committee later approved the motion to cite Grijaldo in contempt for the second time for his refusal to respond to the lawmakers’ questions during the hearing.

The former Mandaluyong City police chief, who belongs to the Philippine National Police Academy Batch 1997, was pressed by the quad committee members to clarify his remarks in the Senate, where he claimed was coerced by quad committee co-chairpersons Dan Fernandez and Benny Abante to give false testimonies in relation to the drug war probe.

Despite hours of grilling, Grijaldo did not bend and repeatedly refused to provide substantial responses to the questions thrown at him. He repeatedly invoked his right against self-incrimination, which irked the interrogating lawmakers and led to his second contempt in months.

“I move once again that Colonel Grijaldo will be detained at Quezon City [police] station 6 until the committee report in this investigation would be adopted in the plenary,” quad comm co-chairperson and Abang Lingkod Representative Joseph Stephen Paduano’s motion said, which has been approved by the lawmakers.

Grijaldo was first ordered detained in December for skipping the probes due to his medical condition after a knee surgery. He failed to appear before the quad committee despite four invitations. After staying in the hospital, Grijaldo was transferred under the House’s custody on December 14 and has been staying in the chamber’s premises since then.

While conducting probes in aid of legislation, legislative chambers may cite persons in contempt and detain them if they snub hearings or are uncooperative during inquiries. A person held in contempt may be placed under custody “until he/she agrees to produce the required documents, or to be sworn or to testify, or otherwise purge himself/herself of that contempt.”

The mega-panel that probes extrajudicial killings, the drug war, and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO), has a long list of people it held in contempt, including high-profile resource persons like former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who got entangled in the POGO mess.

Contempt effectivities vary, but there’s a Supreme Court decision saying that persons held under contempt should only be detained while the probe is ongoing.

In addition, a contempt order is also appealable. Lawmakers said on Tuesday that Grijaldo may file a motion for reconsideration on Wednesday, January 22.

Who is Grijaldo and what happened?

Grijaldo was first dragged into the the quad committee hearing because he was the Mandaluyong City police chief when former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga was slain in the city in broad daylight.

The embattled police is also a classmate of retired police colonel and former PCSO general manager Royina Garma, who testified about former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war reward system and Davao Death Squad.

When he was invited by the Senate for its parallel probe into the drug war, Grijaldo claimed he was coerced by both Fernandez and Abante to corroborate Garma’s revelations.

The lawmakers already belied Grijaldo’s claim, but they both inhibited from being interrogators on Tuesday to serve as resource persons for the quad committee. Fernandez and Abante denied Grijaldo’s allegations anew and narrated the events that happened on the day they met the police colonel. – Rappler.com