A MANDALUYONG court has issued an arrest warrant for former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) chairperson Royina Garma and four others in connection with the 2020 murder of former PCSO general secretary Wesley Barayuga. The warrant, received by the Mandaluyong City police station from Regional Trial Court Branch 279, marks a significant development in the long-unsolved case.
Garma, along with former National Police Commission commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, Jeremy Causapin, Santie Mendoza, and Nelson Mariano, faces non-bailable charges of murder and frustrated murder.
The charges stem from the fatal shooting of Barayuga on July 30, 2020, in Mandaluyong City. Barayuga was attacked while riding in a vehicle by an unidentified gunman on a motorcycle.
The issuance of the warrant comes after Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla revealed on September 8 that Garma had met with International Criminal Court (ICC) officials as a potential witness against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
This meeting occurred after Garma’s deportation from the United States following a denied asylum bid. The timing of the warrant’s release has sparked speculation, given Garma’s potential involvement in the ICC investigation. The case continues to unfold with potentially far-reaching implications.
