House Quad Committee Warns Police Colonel

House Quad Committee Warns Police Colonel | Daily Tribune

The House quad committee “will go after” Police Col. Hector Grijaldo who claimed under oath in a Senate probe that two of its co-chairs had tried to coerce him into corroborating the supposed reward scheme under the Duterte administration’s bloody drug war.

In an interview on Friday, quadcom co-chair Dan Fernandez said they are ready to face possible lawsuits, including subornation of perjury, which former president Rodrigo Duterte had indicated he would press against himself and Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr.

Fernandez asserted, however, that they would not be placed at a disadvantage and would take their own legal action, especially against Grijaldo who made the allegation under oath.

“Well, that’s good so that everyone can be enlightened. Regarding the subornation of perjury, then let’s see. But they should also prepare because we are about to take action, especially on what Colonel Hector Grijaldo said. He should prepare himself because we’re going after him as well,” the lawmaker warned.

Fernandez said he is willing to testify in the Senate should he be summoned to its probe on Duterte’s drug war.

The Senate launched its own probe into the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJK) during the drug war earlier this week, during which Grijaldo accused Fernandez and Abante, another quad comm co-chair, of pressuring him to corroborate the affidavit of retired police colonel Royina Garma on the supposed cash reward given to policemen for killing drug suspects.

Grijaldo claimed Abante attempted to convince him to do their bidding by implying that he could get a promotion to police general.

The police officer said he felt “insulted” and “corrupted” by the conversation he had with the two lawmakers but he refused to be influenced by them.

Fernandez and Abante confirmed having a conversation with Grijaldo on the sidelines of the quad comm hearing on 20 October after Garma had testified that he knew about the cash reward scheme.

The two denied pressuring Grijaldo and said his allegation was an attempt to discredit the quad comm, which is also investigating Duterte’s drug war.

The lawmakers said they would not take Grijaldo’s allegation sitting down, citing the gravity of his testimony against them that was made under oath.

Fernandez said they will summon Grijaldo anew to the next hearing of the quadcom on 6 November and warned him “to prepare for his testimony.”

Garma, Duterte’s alleged trusted aide and former member of the Davao Death Squad, said under oath that the previous administration’s anti-drug operations involved a scheme that incentivized police to kill drug suspects.

The monetary rewards ranged from P20,000 to P1 million, depending on the prominence of the target.

According to Garma, the operation was modeled after the “Davao template,” which was reportedly developed during Duterte’s tenure as Davao City mayor.

Duterte confirmed to the Senate that he had a death squad comprised of “gangsters” and not policemen.

Duterte’s close allies — Senators Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go — who were said to have a significant role in the drug war both denied Garma’s allegation of a cash reward system.