September 27, 2024 | 6:52pm
MANILA, Philippines — Retired police chief Royina Garma on Friday, September 27, confirmed to lawmakers that she hired seven family members when she was the general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in 2019.
At the House quadcom’s seventh public hearing, Rep. Dan Fernandez (Santa Rosa, Lone District) asked Garma how many relatives she employed at the PCSO.
“During the time you were the general manager of PCSO, do you remember that you have appointed several members of your family? How many?” Fernandez asked.
It took Garma some time to respond as she was trying to recall how many, but Fernandez pressed her.
The former PCSO general manager fumbled with her words and then said it was “more or less five, I’m sure more than five.”
However, Fernandez said it was seven, which Garma confirmed when the lawmaker mentioned seven names of her relatives.
This included her first cousins, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, even her daughter. The positions they took were that of a nurse, IT consultant, admin officer, private secretary and researcher.
Hiring her daughter
Fernandez surprised Garma when he asked if she hired her daughter as a confidential agent at PCSO.
Garma confirmed this as well and began answering defensively when Fernandez mentioned her daughter’s mental disorders.
“You appointed your daughter, who is sick, as a confidential agent? And do you know the meaning of confidential agent? Why did you appoint your daughter if she’s sick?” he asked.
She explained that her daughter’s conditions include dyslexia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar and depression, which are not diseases.
Garma justified appointing her daughter as a confidential agent by saying that she is “very competent in report writing and editing communications,” and was entrusted to write articles in high school.
However, these were not the qualifications required of a confidential agent, which Fernandez pointed out.
Qualification of a confidential agent. The lawmaker raised a printed screenshot of the requirements and enumerated that a confidential agent must first have a criminal justice degree.
The second qualification Fernandez said is previous experience in law enforcement.
This is in contrast with Garma’s answer to Fernandez, to which she said that a confidential agent is “someone you can trust on matters.”
“The positions that were given to them, ang requirement lang is trust and confidence, just like anybody na appointed,” Garma said.
She also first told the lawmaker that she is not aware whether her daughter has experience in law enforcement.
This puzzled Fernandez, who questioned how Garma could not know, given that she had been with her daughter for 23 years.
The former PCSO general manager later confessed to the lawmaker that her daughter has no experience in law enforcement.
PCSO allegedly funding a foundation
The number of claims against Garma increased after each congressional hearing on extrajudicial killings.
The most recent allegation involves a transfer of P2 million from the PCSO to the party-list and foundation established called Samahan ng Totoong Larong may Puso (STL).
Garma confirmed that she created the STL Party-list.
Fernandez presented a Facebook post from the party-list showing its first nominee receiving a P2 million check from the PCSO, which was given to the mayor of Mandaue City to support recovery efforts following Typhoon Odette in 2021.
The first nominee, Maria Yvonne Cania-Barandong, was revealed to be the wife of police officer Chuck Barandong, a member of Garma’s security detail.
Fernandez also shared additional Facebook posts from the party-list showing donations of houses to families in various barangays in Cebu City.
He then questioned Chuck about where they had the funds to build or purchase homes. The police officer said it was from a group of businesses his wife worked with.
This prompted the House joint committee to invite Maria Yvonne to the next hearing to determine whether or not PCSO funds were used to fund the party-list and foundation during Garma’s tenure.
The former PCSO general manager denied her involvement in the transfer of P2 million and the donation of houses. She said that she could not recall.
Garma also denied other claims made against her by resource persons who testified about how she ordered several cases of extrajudicial killings and earned P1 million weekly from illegal gambling.
The House quadcom will hold its next hearing on drug-related extrajudicial killings the week following the filing of certificates of candidacy from October 1 to 8.
