Human right issues hound Garma, held in US

National

FORMER Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager and retired police colonel Royina Garma is set to be deported after she was held in the United States.

Garma was with her daughter Angelica Vilela when she was apprehended and detained by US Immigration in San Francisco, California, on November 7, because her visa was canceled due to a "human right issue", said Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.

The DOJ had initially no idea about Garma's arrest. The Interpol was among those who informed officials in the Philippines about the retired police colonel’s apprehension by the US authorities.

Remulla has no idea as to why the US also canceled the visa of Garma’s daughter.

Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesperson Dana Sandoval confirmed that Garma left the country through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 via United Airlines Flight UA190’s 9:55 a.m. flight to Washington.

“I don’t know who asked for it, but certainly, when she was in Japan going to the US, she was informed that her visa had already been canceled,” Remulla said, per a Philippine Star report.

The DOJ and the BI are coordinating with US counterparts to ensure the safety of retired police official when she returns to the country.

When asked why Garma could travel to the US passing the immigration, Remulla answered that the former PCSO general manager was not on the immigration lookout bulletin and there was no hold-departure order against her.

The Philippine National Police (PNP), through its spokesperson rig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said as of now, there is no case filed against Garma concerning her involvement in the killing of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga.

This means no one is stopping Garma from traveling abroad since there’s no case filed against her that would warrant a hold departure order.

As to her involvement in the drug war of the previous administration under the watch of former President Rodrido Duterte, Remulla said they plan to put Garma under the witness protection program since she is considered by the quad comm as "very important witness."

When she arrives back in the country, she will directly go to the Senate and be detained again there, according to Remulla.

During one of the House quad comm hearings, Garma revealed that under Duterte’s watch, there was a reward system among those police personnel who could kill drug personalities, confirming that there’s indeed a “death squad” group of the former President.(LAO)