THE House Quad Comm on Friday cited Police Sergeant Enecito Ubales Jr. in contempt and ordered his detention for consistently lying about the alleged more than P50 million in suspicious financial transactions linked to his first cousin, former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Royina Garma who is close to former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
This was part of Quad Comm’s ongoing investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) tied to former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s brutal war on drugs.
Ubales will be detained at the Quezon City Jail until the mega-panel concludes its probe.
The decision to detain Ubales was made after the committee, chaired by Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, determined that Ubales had been “consistently lying” during the proceedings.
During Friday’s hearing, Police Captain Delfinito Anuba testified that Ubales had been involved in suspicious financial transactions linked to Garma.
Anuba claimed that Ubales gave him P30 million to convert into U.S. dollars, allegedly on Garma’s instructions.
He added that this was not the first time, as he had previously converted P20 million and other smaller amounts while Garma was still serving as PCSO GM from 2019 to 2022.
These dollars, according to Anuba, were allegedly sent to Garma’s former husband, Police Colonel Roland Vilela, who was then assigned as a police attaché at the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, California.
Ubales denied all of Anuba’s allegations but failed to convince lawmakers.
Several committee members expressed their belief that Ubales was lying under oath, leading to the motion to cite him in contempt.
The Quad Committee, which comprises members from the Committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Order and Safety, Human Rights and Public Accounts, is delving into the connections between Garma’s financial misconduct and EJKs during Duterte’s controversial anti-drug campaign.
Lawmakers suspect that Garma, a retired police officer, played a key role in the 2016 killings of three Chinese drug lords inside a Davao prison, allegedly under orders from Duterte.
They believe her appointment as PCSO general manager may have been a reward for her involvement in these extrajudicial activities.
