Leonardo, tied to drug war killings, quits Napolcom

NAPOLCOM Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo. INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, who was implicated in the killing of three Chinese drug convicts and of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga, has resigned from his post.

This was confirmed in separate text messages to the Inquirer by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla and Presidential Communications Secretary Cesar Chavez.

Remulla also told the Inquirer that he received an Oct 8. letter from Bersamin informing him of Leonardo’s resignation.

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“On behalf of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., this is to inform you that his resignation has been accepted, effective immediately,” Bersamin said in his letter to Remulla, who serves as the chair of Napolcom.

Barayuga, Davao Penal cases

Bersamin said Leonardo tendered his resignation on Oct. 4.

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Asked about the reasons for Leonardo’s resignation, Remulla said “I think the reasons are obvious.” He did not elaborate.

Leonardo’s resignation came after he was tagged during a House quad committee hearing as one of those who arranged the killing of Barayuga in July 2020 and the fatal attack against three Chinese drug convicts inside the Davao Prison and Penal Farm where they were serving time in August 2016.

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Administrative probe

Leonardo has denied both allegations but he was cited in contempt by the House quad committee for denying that he had met former Davao penal farm warden Gerardo Padilla about the killing Chinese inmates.

His last appearance before the quad committee was on Sept. 27, when Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza said that former PCSO general manager Royina Garma and Leonardo had conspired to kill Barayuga.

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Like Leonardo, Garma denied any role in the broad daylight attack on Barayuga.

During a hearing of the House quad committee on Friday, Napolcom vice chair Alberto Bernardo told lawmakers that Leonardo had already resigned from his post and that his resignation had been accepted.

“I will be getting the official notice maybe by Monday,” Bernardo said.

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He said he convened the remaining Napolcom commissioners and asked them if they would be reporting to the Office of the President, through Remulla, “that we are supposed to conduct an administrative investigation” of the allegations against Leonardo.

Bernardo said he was outvoted by the other commissioners who suggested waiting for “developments.”

“But personally, I would like to file an administrative case,” he said.

‘Davao model’

During Friday’s House panel hearing, Garma said that in 2016 she recommended Leonardo to then President Rodrigo Duterte to lead the “Davao model” of the drug war on a national scale.

Leonardo, a former environment undersecretary for protected areas and special concerns, was appointed by Duterte to Napolcom on Feb. 14, 2022, to represent the law enforcement sector.

Leonardo also previously served as the chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for the Davao region until his retirement on Sept. 29, 2020.