Killing of PCSO’s Barayuga: Napolcom’s Leonardo, Garma tagged

National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner and former Police Col. Edilberto Leonardo (left photo) attends the House quad committee hearing on September 27, 2024. At right is a file photo of retired police Col. Royina Garma. | Inquirer file photos

MANILA, Philippines — National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner and former police Col. Edilberto Leonardo and retired police Col. Royina Garma has been implicated by an active police official as the brains behind the killing of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga.

A sworn affidavit was read by Police Lt. Col. Santi Mendoza during the seventh hearing of the House of Representatives quad-committee held on Friday, where he said that Leonardo contacted him about operating a high-value drug target in the person of Barayuga.

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Mendoza said he would think about the operation, but Leonardo said that this operation would bode well for the police officer’s career

“Noong Oktubre 2019, nakatanggap ako ng tawag mula kay Police Colonel Edilberto Leonardo, na nagpabatid sa akin na mayroon siyang espesyal na proyekto na may kinalaman sa isang high-value individual na pinaghihinalaang sangkot sa mga ilegal na aktibidad ng droga,” Mendoza said.

(In October 2019, I received a call from Police Colonel Edilberto Leonardo, who informed me that he had a special project involving a high-value individual suspected of being involved in illegal drug activities)

“[…] [I]giniit ni Police Colonel Leonardo na kailangan kong maging handa kapag ibinigay na niya ang go signal kaugnay ng nasabing operasyon. Sinabi pa niya na ang pagsasagawa ng proyektong ito ang magdidikta sa direksyon ng aking karera bilang isang pulis.  Noong Pebrero 2020, muling nag-follow up si Police Colonel Leonardo at nagbigay ng karagdagang detalye, kabilang ang pangalan ng target na kanyang tinukoy bilang isang Wesley Barayuga,” he added.

(Police Colonel Leonardo insisted that I should be ready when he gave the go signal for the said operation. He also said that carrying out this project would dictate the direction of my career as a police officer. In February 2020, Police Colonel Leonardo followed up again and provided additional details, including the name of the target, whom he identified as Wesley Barayuga)

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According to Mendoza, Leonardo sent him a synopsis that would show how Barayuga was supposedly involved in the illegal drug trade.  Mendoza then said that he would conduct his study, but Leonardo supposedly said that the hit already had Garma’s blessing.

Mendoza said he then asked a fellow police officer, Nelson Mariano, to help him carry out the hit.

“Matapos matanggap ang impormasyon, sinabi ko kay Police Colonel Leonardo na dahil isang opisyal ng gobyerno ang target, mahalaga na magsagawa ako ng sarili kong beripikasyon, ngunit sinabi niya na hindi na ito kinakailangan dahil ang utos ay mula kay GM Garma na may personal na kaalaman tungkol sa mga ilegal na aktibidad ng droga ni Wesley Barayuga,” he said.

(After receiving the information, I told Police Colonel Leonardo that since the target was a government official, it was important for me to conduct my own verification. However, he said it was unnecessary because the order came from Garma, who had personal knowledge of Barayuga’s illegal drug activities.)

“Matapos tanggapin ang assignment, sinimulan ko na ang paghahanda para sa proyekto, kabilang ang pag-recruit ng isang angkop na tao para isagawa ito. Kinausap ko si Nelson Mariano na kilala kong may network kaugnay sa ganitong klaseng operasyon dahil siya ang aking dating informant tungkol sa mga personalidad ng droga, at binigyan ko siya ng mga paunang detalye ng proyekto,” he added.

(After accepting the assignment, I began preparations for the project, including recruiting a suitable person to carry it out. I spoke with Nelson Mariano, whom I knew had connections related to this type of operation, as he was my former informant on drug personalities, and I provided him with the initial details of the project.)

When they were about to carry out the attack, Mendoza said that Leonardo informed them that Barayuga was inside the PCSO office in Mandaluyong, with Garma sending a photo of the late board secretary.

“Noong Hulyo 30, 2020, muling tumawag si Colonel Leonardo at ipinaalam sa akin na ang target na si Wesley Barayuga ay nasa PCSO at maaari na naming isagawa ang operasyon. Ipinadala niya sa akin ang larawan ni Wesley Barayuga habang ito ay nasa conference meeting sa loob ng PCSO. Sinabi ni Colonel Leonardo na ang larawan ni Wesley Barayuga ay kinuha at ipinadala sa kanya ni Ma’am Garma,” he said.

(On July 30, 2020, Colonel Leonardo called me again and informed me that the target, Wesley Barayuga, was at the PCSO and that we could proceed with the operation. He sent me a photo of Barayuga during a conference meeting inside the PCSO. Colonel Leonardo said the photo was taken and sent to him by Ma’am Garma.)

“Sinabi rin ni Colonel Leonardo na hindi na kami mahihirapan sa pagsasagawa ng operasyon dahil nag isyu na si Ma’am Garma ng isang service vehicle para gamitin ni Wesley Barayuga, at binigay sa akin ang deskripsyon at plate number ng sasakyan. Sinabi niya na maaari na naming tirahin si Wesley Barayuga pagkatapos niyang lumabas sa gusali. Ipinasa ko ang lahat ng impormasyong ito kay Nelson Mariano,” he added.

(Colonel Leonardo also said that we wouldn’t have a hard time executing the operation because Ma’am Garma had already issued a service vehicle for Barayuga, and he provided me with the description and plate number of the vehicle. He told me that we could take out Barayuga after he exited the building. I passed all this information on to Nelson Mariano.)

Mendoza said that Garma then coursed through Leonardo a payment of P300,000 for the hit.

Barayuga, a lawyer and a retired police general, was shot dead in July 2020 on his way home from the PCSO headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

In an interview with the Inquirer after the shooting, Mandaluyong City Police Chief Col Hector Grijaldo, Jr. said Barayuga, who was also a lawyer and retired general, was gunned down by an unidentified assailant on a motorcycle around 3:30 p.m. at the corner of Calbayog and Malinaw Streets in Brgy. Highway Hills.

Barayuga suffered injuries in the head, near the neck, and one under the armpit, Grijaldo said, adding that one of the assailants who trailed the victim’s white pick-up government vehicle shot him from the passenger’s seat.

Closed-circuit television footage showed the suspect going beside Barayuga’s government vehicle and shooting him through the passenger side.

The police were looking into an old grudge and his work as a board secretary who signs important official resolutions and PCSO documents as among possible motives behind the attack, according to Grijaldo.

In 2013, Barayuga held a general position in Camp Crame as an executive officer for the Directorate for Logistics.

Furthermore, on Friday, the quad-committee cited Leonardo for contempt after lawmakers deemed him lying.

Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano asked Leonardo several times if a meeting between him and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) S/Supt. Gerardo Padilla, about the killing of three Chinese nationals at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm back in August 2016 — another alleged extrajudicial killing case probed by the quad-committee.