The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is set to conduct an in-depth investigation into the alleged “grand conspiracy” within the Philippine National Police (PNP), which is expected to support findings of the House quad committee about the cash reward system during the Duterte administration, panel chairperson Robert Ace Barbers said Tuesday.

The probe follows DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s announcement that the DILG will investigate the drug seizures by the PNP from 2016 to 2022 during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s term.

The move comes after the Department of Justice (DoJ) filed criminal charges against 30 of the 49 police officers implicated in the “staged” P6.7-billion drug bust in Tondo, Manila, in October 2022.

“This confirms what the quad committee uncovered — the Duterte administration’s reward system turned law enforcement into a criminal enterprise. It prioritized kill statistics and inflated accomplishments over real reform and public safety,” Barbers said.

Remulla said the reward system, supposedly initiated in 2016 when Duterte took office, encouraged police officers to turn in only part of the drugs they seized while keeping the rest for later operations.

“Because there was a reward, they would take small amounts and turn them in. With the reward, there was an accomplishment,” Remulla said.

Retired police colonel Royina Garma, a former trusted aide of Duterte, told the quad committee the anti-narcotics campaign involved rewards to police officers ranging from P20,000 to P1 million, depending on the prominence of the target. She said only officers who killed drug suspects received a reward.

Duterte admitted the reward system, claiming it was for “the boys” who resolved “big crimes.”

Shabu bust ‘staged’

The investigation involves the seizure of 990 kilos of shabu worth P6.7 billion from the WPD Lending Office in Tondo that was operated by former Police Master Sergeant Rodolfo Mayo Jr. His accomplice, Ney Atadero, was arrested during the operation.

CCTV footage, however, showed the operation had been staged, as Mayo was arrested in Tondo the same day Atadero was taken into custody.

Barbers criticized the malpractice by some police officers, calling it a consequence of the “catastrophic failure” of Duterte’s drug war, which fueled corruption in the PNP.

“This fabricated drug haul is not an isolated case — it’s a damning indictment of Duterte’s entire approach to governance,” he said.

Raps vs Duterte et al.

Last December, the quad committee recommended criminal charges against Duterte and his then top aides, including Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Bato dela Rosa, for their roles in the anti-drug campaign. The committee also called for accountability from former police chiefs Oscar Albayalde and Debold Sinas, as well as other officials.

The committee’s report recommended charges for violating the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and other Crimes Against Humanity.

The panel, however, emphasized that it would not cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the alleged crimes against humanity during the Duterte administration.

While the government reported over 7,000 deaths in the drug war, human rights organizations estimated the death toll exceeded 30,000 of primarily poor people.

The DoJ plans to review the quad committee’s findings alongside its own evidence before pursuing legal action, with cases to be filed by the National Prosecution Service if warranted, according to Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres.