Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma has confirmed that cash rewards ranging from P20,000 to P1 million were offered per drug-related killing during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
Garma made the statement in response to a query from Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel, who asked if the rewards varied based on the rank of the targets, from P50,000 for drug pushers to P1 million for high-profile individuals like drug financiers and “ninja cops.”
“From what I understand, starting from P20,000 to P1 million. But I’m not familiar with the bracketing,” Garma said during a recent House hearing.
She also revealed that police officer Edilberto Leonardo facilitated the funding of these rewards, particularly in Davao, Duterte’s hometown. “Once there’s a successful police operation, if you have filed the case, you will be refunded P5,000 for your expenses,” she added.
Rep. Manuel expressed concern over the system, noting it was no surprise that police officers were motivated to neutralize targets. “I am still trying to absorb everything… from P20,000 to P1 million per head. And from Davao, this happened nationwide,” he said.
