𝗜𝗟𝗢𝗜𝗟𝗢 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 – Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Royina Garma and ex-National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo are facing murder and frustrated murder charges for the killing of former Iloilo City Police Office Director and PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga.
The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Anti-Organized & Transnational Crime Division filed the complaints before the Department of Justice on Monday after months of joint case build-up.
𝗛𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱, 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱
Also implicated in the case are Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza and police informant Nelson Mariano. During a House Quad Committee hearing, Mariano alleged that Garma and Leonardo masterminded Barayuga’s assassination in 2019.
Mendoza admitted to enlisting Mariano, who then arranged for a hitman identified as Police Sr. Master Sergeant Jeremy Causapin, known by the alias “Alyas Toks,” to carry out the murder. The complaint also includes two other suspects, referred to as “Alyas Loloy” and John Doe.
Due to their cooperation in the case, Mendoza and Mariano have been recommended as state witnesses.
𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗨𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀
The initial investigation into Barayuga’s killing was led by then-Mandaluyong City Police chief, Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo Jr., a former classmate of Garma at the Philippine National Police Academy. House QuadComm lead chairperson Rep. Robert Ace Barbers has accused Grijaldo of attempting to cover up the true motive behind Barayuga’s murder, which occurred in Mandaluyong in 2020.
Meanwhile, Garma is currently in the United States, reportedly facing allegations of money laundering and human rights violations under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. This U.S. law, passed in 2016, sanctions individuals involved in corruption and human rights abuses worldwide.
Two New York-based immigration lawyers speculate that Garma may be seeking political asylum. However, her legal counsel maintains that she has no intention of hiding and that her visa was in order when she left the Philippines.
The National Prosecution Service will first evaluate the complaints before setting a preliminary investigation hearing.
