Former President Rodrigo Duterte said he does not know anything about the killing of Former PCSO Board Secretary Wesley Barayuga.
Duterte told House of Representatives’ Quad Committee that Barayuga’s death could be due to personal grudge and he did not meddle on these matters.
“ Wala akong alam, hindi ako nakialam” Duterte insisted.
Barayuga was murdered in 2020 when Duterte was president of the Philippines.
In his sworn statement, Police Lieutenant Colonel Santi Mendoza accused former PCSO Chair Retired Police Colonel Royina Garma as the one who ordered the killing of Barayuga.
Mendoza also tagged Police Colonel Edilberto Leonardo as the one who contacted him to implement the plan to kill Barayuga but he declined to take part in it.
In the previous hearing of the Quad Committee Garma denied hand in the death of Barayuga.
Duterte’s name was dragged into the case when Garma testified in the Quad Committee that Leonardo was tapped by the former president to implement the Davao model of the drug war in the national scale.
Mendoza said Barayuga was a subject of a special operation for his alleged involvement in illegal drugs.
(Rody Duterte Photo)
Abner is an award-winning journalist. He received the prestigious 2015 Titus Brandsma Award for Community Communication in the Philippines and participated in the 2016 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States of America, sponsored by the US Embassy in the Philippines. Founder of WATCH NORTH COTABATO, a media-citizens’ transparency group. He worked as a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and CNN Philippines. His experience in broadcasting includes anchoring for Brigada News FM in Kidapawan and General Santos City and Brigada News TV. He anchors Tira Brigada via 105.1 Brigada News FM Manila, Mondays-Saturdays.