Grijaldo faces House heat over skipping hearings

Police Colonel Hector Grijaldo has drawn criticism from the House Quad Committee for failing — on three occasions — to appear in its investigation after accusing two co-chairs of coercing him to support claims of monetary rewards given to police for killing drug suspects during the Duterte administration’s drug war.

Grijaldo submitted three excuse letters, citing shoulder pain due to rotator cuff syndrome and claiming he was confined in a hospital. However, PBGen Constancio Chinayog Jr. reported that Grijaldo had been on duty from 18 to 22 November before filing a leave of absence from 25 November to 4 December.

Committee co-chair Dan Fernandez dismissed Grijaldo’s explanation, labeling it an attempt to evade the congressional probe.

“Mr. Chairman, it's quite annoying. His continued absence in this committee hearing under the pretext of medical excuses [is] not acceptable,” Fernandez said. “He [is] running away from his responsibility…He tainted the name of this representation and not only of this representation but the whole of the quad comm.”

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., another panel co-chair, issued a warning to Grijaldo: “You can hide but you cannot run from this committee.”

Abante emphasized the importance of Grijaldo appearing before the committee to address the allegations he raised in the Senate. Both lawmakers offered to relinquish their chairmanship roles to ensure impartiality in the discussions.

Grijaldo's accusations

In October, Grijaldo testified under oath before the Senate and claimed that Fernandez and Abante pressured him into supporting the affidavit of retired police Colonel Royina Garma. The affidavit alleged a cash reward system for police officers who killed drug suspects.

Grijaldo further accused Abante of implying that he could receive a promotion to police general in exchange for his cooperation, stating he felt “insulted” and “corrupted” by the conversation. However, Fernandez and Abante denied the accusations, asserting they acted solely on Garma’s recommendation, citing Grijaldo’s purported knowledge of the reward system.

Garma, known as a close associate of former President Rodrigo Duterte, told the committee that the anti-drug operations of the previous administration incentivized police to kill drug suspects. She revealed that monetary rewards ranged from P20,000 to P1 million, depending on the prominence of the target. Garma alleged that the system was based on the "Davao template" established during Duterte’s tenure as Davao City mayor.

Investigation intensifies

The Quad Comm ordered the House medical team and the Philippine National Police to verify whether Grijaldo’s medical condition genuinely incapacitated him from attending the hearing.

The lawmakers deemed Grijaldo’s testimony a deliberate attempt to discredit the committee, which is rigorously investigating the Duterte administration’s controversial war on drugs. Official data reports over 7,000 deaths, though human rights groups estimate the toll exceeds 30,000, predominantly affecting low-income communities.

Duterte had previously admitted during congressional inquiries that he encouraged police to provoke drug suspects into fighting back as a pretext for lethal action.