PNP chief seeks probe; HR groups want arrest

The country's top cop has ordered a probe on the bombshell testimony of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma that former president Rodrigo Duterte implemented a cash reward system to policemen for the state-sponsored killing of drug suspects.

- By EMMANUEL TUPAS

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil issued the directive yesterday in response to Garma's revelation before the House of Representatives quad committee hearing.

"We will investigate," Marbil said in a message on Viber. However, he did not say which units he would assign to undertake the probe.

Garma, a former police official assigned to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), revealed that Duterte talked to her about implementing his war on drugs in Davao City on a national scale.

The cash incentive for every drug suspect killed ranged from P20,000 to P1 million, Garma said.

The former police official herself is under investigation for the murder of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga in July 2020.