Go Denies Reward Claims in Drug War; Calls for Senate Probe

By Juliane Judilla

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go denied allegations that a reward system was implemented during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, refuting claims made by Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Royina Garma during a House of Representatives hearing.

Garma, a retired police officer, revealed that cash incentives ranging from PHP 20,000 to PHP 1 million were allegedly offered for every drug suspect killed as part of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) operations. She testified that this system was tied to the drug war initiated under former President Rodrigo Duterte.

In response, Go, a known ally of Duterte, called Garma’s claims “baseless” and suggested that he might push for a Senate-led investigation into the allegations. “If necessary, we will have a parallel investigation here in the Senate so that we can uncover the truth,” Go stated in an ambush interview. He emphasized the importance of determining the true impact of the drug war on the public.

Human rights groups have long condemned the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. Karapatan, a prominent human rights group, said Garma’s testimony further implicated the government and the PNP in what they described as state-sanctioned killings.

“Her account also affirms the assertion that the government incentivized the police to undertake and legitimize the state-sanctioned killings of the poor,” Karapatan Secretary-General Cristina Palabay said in a statement. She urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for Duterte and those involved in the drug war.

The families of extrajudicial killing victims also expressed their outrage. Rise Up for Life and for Rights, a coalition of families and relatives of victims, staged a protest outside the House of Representatives during the hearing, calling for justice. “If there were no drug war policy or Duterte’s Oplan Tokhang, our children, spouses, and siblings would still be alive,” the group said.

Human Rights Watch reported that more than 12,000 Filipinos were killed during the war on drugs between 2016 and 2022. Of those deaths, at least 2,555 were attributed to the PNP.