Royina Garma back in the Philippines

Retired police colonel Royina Garma, the former general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) sought for her alleged ties to the Duterte drug war and the murder of a senior executive in the agency, is back in the Philippines.

Garma arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 from Los Angeles, California, on Saturday evening on board Philippine Airlines Flight (PR) 113, according to the Bureau of Immigration, which also posted a photo of her on its official Facebook page.

Flight tracking website flightaware.com said PR 113 landed at NAIA at 6:19 p.m.

Government sources said Garma arrived with escorts from the US government. She was then turned over to the BI for routine processing. 

Garma was deported after her asylum application was rejected, government sources added. 

The development comes almost 10 months to the day since she was held by authorities in California in the United States on November 7 last year for a canceled visa.

At the time, the Philippine Department of Justice (DOJ) ordered the BI to facilitate Garma's return to the country.

About five months later, however, Garma's lawyer Emerito Quilang said his client filed for asylum last November. Saying Garma had another lawyer abroad, Quilang said he was "not privy" to the details regarding her asylum request.

Garma is currently facing a complaint for murder and frustrated murder for allegedly ordering the 2020 murder of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga.

She had been grilled by congressmen over allegations that she masterminded Barayuga's death, which she has denied.

During an inquiry by the House of Representatives, Garma said former President Rodrigo Duterte asked her to look for an officer to bring the Davao model for the drug war on a nationwide scale.

Garma's return also comes less than three weeks away from Duterte's confirmation of charges hearing at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands in relation to his war on drugs.

She told the House Quad Committee that under the Davao model, payments are rewards provided for: killing a drug suspect, funding of planned operations, and refund of operational expenses.

Duterte met with Garma in May 2016, the retired police colonel said, just weeks before he was to take his oath as president of the republic on June 30.

Asked during the House probe if she was forced to execute the affidavit regarding her claims, Garma said she did so willingly and that she was in tears while preparing the document.

"I realized that the truth will always set us free," Garma had said. — Jiselle Anne Casucian/with a report from Saleema Refran/VDV/VBL, GMA Integrated News