No word on whether Garma seeking US political asylum

There is no word yet from US authorities if former police colonel Royina Garma is indeed requesting for political asylum, according to Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez.

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Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla also gave no confirmation of Garma's reported asylum request. "No confirmation now," Remulla said.

Should Garma's asylum request proceed, she must establish that her life is in peril due to political persecution.

"Under detention so far. No word on asylum," Romualdez said in a text message to The STAR. "We are checking the delay in deportation." Remulla noted that ongoing investigations on Garma's alleged crimes will proceed regardless of her location, citing the Philippines' Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US. The MLAT ensures both nations cooperate in preventing, investigating, and prosecuting criminal offenses.

Remulla cited the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2016, which sanctions individuals involved in human rights violations and corruption worldwide, as the reason for the cancellation of Garma's US visa.

"They're actually after her properties which she stored there, her money laundering activities, and of course, the human rights violations that were part of the Magnitsky Act," Remulla pointed out.