LAWMAKER HINTS DUTERTE’S CONFIDENTIAL FUNDS MAY HAVE ‘FUELED’ DRUG WAR KILLINGS

By Junex Doronio

MANILA – House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro expressed her belief that former President Rodrigo Duterte’s confidential funds may have financed a cash reward system that incentivized extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during his administration’s controversial war on illegal drugs.

During the Oct. 11 House Quad Committee hearing, Castro questioned former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Royina Garma about the alleged flow of funds used to finance the EJKs.

She suggested that Duterte’s billions in confidential funds could have been channeled into a reward system that motivated operatives to kill drug suspects.

“Do you think the confidential or intelligence funds were one source of the rewards?” Castro asked.

Garma, hesitant to speculate, responded, “Ayoko pong mag-speculate po, Your Honor.”

Earlier in the hearing, Garma read her sworn affidavit, which directly implicated Duterte in orchestrating a nationwide campaign that led to the EJKs of drug suspects. The affidavit revealed the alleged reward system that incentivized the killings and detailed the roles of Duterte and his close aide, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, in overseeing and coordinating anti-drug operations.

Castro focused on the alleged financial flow from Go to former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Region 11 chief Police Col. Edilberto Leonardo, as well as to other Philippine National Police (PNP) officials and operatives from agencies like the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Bureau of Corrections.

Garma confirmed the existence of the reward system but did not specify the source of the funds.

Castro further linked key Duterte allies such as Go and Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, Duterte’s first PNP chief, suggesting their involvement in facilitating the flow of money.

“Sen. Bong Go and Sen. Ronald Bato were very close to President Duterte,” Castro remarked.

Garma replied that Leonardo had managed much of the reward distribution but noted her limited knowledge of the overall system.

During the interpellation, Castro also raised the omission of known Duterte associates, such as businessman Michael Yang, while Garma only mentioned Peter Lim, a suspected notorious drug lord in the Visayas. Yang, Duterte’s former economic adviser, was allegedly involved in drug smuggling in Mindanao.

The exchange bolstered Castro’s claim that Duterte’s confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) may have supported a reward system linked to EJKs in the drug war.

While Garma did not directly confirm this connection, Castro’s questions raised concerns about the potential misuse of funds during Duterte’s presidency and the brutal methods used in his anti-drug campaign.

Garma later admitted that many officers were aware of the flow of funds but were too afraid to speak out.

“All the officers here know about it—it’s public knowledge. I was just the one brave enough to say it,” she said.

Garma also informed the Quad Committee that, while she didn’t know the exact amounts, cash rewards for drug-related killings ranged from P20,000 to P1 million, depending on the target.

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