THE PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS) is conducting a parallel investigation into the administrative liabilities of policemen who may be involved in the 2020 murder of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga.
In an interview at Camp Crame, IAS Inspector General Brigido Dulay said among those who will be investigated is Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza, currently assigned with the PNP Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit.
Mendoza had earlier testified before the quad committee of the House of Representatives and implicated National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) commissioner Edilberto Leonardo and former PSCO general manager Royina Garma in Barayuga’s murder.
Barayuga was shot dead in Barangay Highway Hills in Mandaluyong City on July 30, 2020 while aboard a PCSO service vehicle. His driver, Jojo Gunao, was injured in the attack.
Leonardo, a retired police colonel, was named NAPOLCOM commissioner in February 2022 by then President Rodrigo Duterte, a few months before he vacated the presidency. NAPOLCOM commissioners have a fixed six-year term.
Garma, also a retired police colonel, once headed the Davao City police station. Duterte named her as PSCO general manager in 2019.
Mendoza told lawmakers he was allegedly instructed by Leonardo and Garma to carry out the murder of Barayuga in exchange for P300,000, a claim that was corroborated by retired police Corporal Nelson Mariano who admitted recruiting the hitman, whom he identified only as a certain “Loloy.”
“IAS has started its investigation on the Barayuga (killing). We’re investigating those involved, including the self-confessed participant, conspirator, Santie Mendoza, and others who are still in the active service,” said Dulay, adding that they have already secured documents from the House committee.
“As of now, we are (gathering more evidence) because the testimony of Santie has to be backed up by other evidence,” he said.
On the IAS investigation of Mendoza, Dulay said: “We can do nothing about it because he admitted (his participation).”
“He said he is willing to face the consequences of his action in facing the quad comm, his admission of his participation in the killing of Barayuga,” he said.
He also said policemen involved in the murder of Barayuga may face “grave offenses” as he noted that the penalty for such administrative charges is dismissal from the service.
Dulay said it may take IAS at least 45 to 60 days to gather evidence. “After that, the formal proceedings will start, including the summary dismissal proceedings if there is enough evidence for a formal charge,” he said.
He said they are not yet certain how many policemen will be investigated by the IAS.
The IAS probe is separate from the probe being conducted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), which has been ordered by PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil to reopen the probe on Baruyuga’s death in the wake of Mendoza’s revelations.
Marbil had also ordered a review of the PNP processes that led to Barayuga’s inclusion in the list of people involved in the trade of illegal drugs posthumously.
DOJ PROBE
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday said it will coordinate with the PNP in its investigation into the alleged involvement of Garma and Leonardo in the assassination of Barayuga.
In an interview with radio DZBB, Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty said: “Makikipag-ugnayan po kami mismo sa PNP-CIDG upang malaman, upang mabuksan muli, ang imbestigasyon sa kasong ito (We will coordinate with the PNP-CIDG to look into, to reopen, the investigation of this case).”
Ty said the testimonies made by Mendoza and Mariano before the quad committee “seems” credible and carry a lot of weight.
“Mabigat talaga ‘yung masasabi nila, ano? So mabuti talagang maumpisahan na ‘yang imbestigasyon dahil matagal na nangyari itong pagpaslang kay Barayuga, 2020 pa (What they are saying carry a lot of weight, right? So, it is only right that an investigation should be started considering that the murder of Barayuga happened a long time ago, that was in 2020),” he said.
The DOJ official also said they want to know what happened during the previous investigation of the PNP and determine if the initial findings can be reconnected to the testimonies of Mendoza and Mariano.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert A. Barbers, lead chairperson of the quad committee which is investigating the drug war deaths and abuses during the Duterte administration, on Wednesday urged the DOJ to charge Garma and Leonardo with murder over Barayuga’s killing.
Barbers said the DOJ can use the testimonies of Mendoza and Mariano in making an airtight case.
Garma and Leonardo have denied any involvement or knowledge in the murder of Barayuga.
Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it has formed a team to look into the latest development in the assassination of Barayuga.
“The good director created a team to conduct an investigation on the killing of Wesley Barayuga,” NBI Deputy chief of staff for legal services Yen Malicad said in a press briefing, referring to NBI Director Jaime Santiago.
“Director Santiago also instructed the team to revive the case in light of the information in the ongoing investigation of the House of Representatives’ quad committee,” Malicad also said.
He said the NBI had previously investigated Barayuga’s killing but were not able to gather sufficient evidence that would warrant the filing of any case.
But with the new information revealed in the hearing of the House’s joint panel, Malicad said there is a need to revive the probe.
“So, the documents we have gathered before will be evaluated together with the pieces of evidence that will be gathered in the revived investigation. From there, we will check if there is sufficient evidence to file a case against those who are involved in the killing,” Malicad said. — With Ashzel Hachero
