PNP orders Barayuga slay reprobe

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil has ordered the immediate reopening of the investigation into retired police general and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga’s murder case.

In a statement on Sunday, Marbil stressed that the revelation “demands a thorough reinvestigation of the murder.”

“No one is above the law, and we will seek justice for retired general Wesley Barayuga and his family with the full resources of the PNP,” he added.

The PNP chief cited that there is a need for another full investigation on Barayuga’s killing plot, following the new information divulged by a key witness during a House probe on extrajudicial killings during the previous administration’s war on drugs campaign.

To recall, during the House quad committee’s public hearing on Friday, Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza of the Police Drug Enforcement Group implicated former PCSO general manager Royina Garma in the assassination of Barayuga in 2020.

Mendoza also tagged National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, saying the latter spoke with him via phone in October 2019, informing him that Barayuga was a “special project involving a high-value individual who is believed involved in illegal drugs.”

Mendoza recalled that Leonardo informed him, in another phone call in February 2020, that the target was Barayuga, adding that he was hesitant but an insistent Leonardo instructed him — without giving further details — to wait for a “go signal.”

He said he was hesitant back then upon learning of Barayuga’s position in the PCSO and sought further verification but was dissuaded by Leonardo, claiming that the order came from Garma, a former police colonel.

“I was forced to comply because the order came from the higher-up and Col. Leonardo is an upperclassman while Ma’am Garma is a member of the Cabinet,” Mendoza told the lawmakers at the hearing.

In July 2020, Barayuga’s car was shot by a motorcycle-riding gunman along Calbayog St. in Barangay Highway Hills, Mandaluyong City.

Following Mendoza’s revelation, Marbil directed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to lead the reinvestigation, reevaluate all evidence, and work closely with other relevant agencies to ensure the process is thorough, impartial, and transparent

“We are committed to uncovering the truth, regardless of the position or power of those involved. The public can rest assured that we will hold those responsible accountable,” Marbil said.

He also stressed the PNP’s commitment to upholding the law and maintaining the integrity of the police force and assured the reinvestigations on Barayuga’s slay case “will be pursued without fear or favor.”