It is the testimony of only one witness, Royina Garma. But once corroborated, it is not. For what Garma revealed in the last Quad Committee hearing in the House last week actually corroborates other testimonies and secured information on the economy of Rodrigo Duterte’s extrajudicial killings.
That Duterte man Friday Bong Go was the bagman had been widely and extensively taken up by confessed Davao Death Squad leader Arturo Lascañas in his affidavit to the International Criminal Court.
But let’s start with the transcript of an interview with another DDS hitman who was not even high up in the DDS hierarchy. He was recruited way back during Duterte’s first term as mayor in 1988. Back then, the name Duterte gave to his death squad was Lambada Boys. In 1992, the name evolved into the Davao Death Squad.
The transcript of this interview dated June 22, 2016 (yes, before there was national consciousness of Duterte’s EJKs, just eight days before he was to be sworn in as president) had since been accepted as evidence by the ICC in 2021. For security reasons, I can’t name him for now.
The Lambada Boys was born of seven men personally chosen by Duterte and which he personally had oriented at the Grand Menseng Hotel in Davao city. Their work, relates the hitman, was “kill, and only to kill; we were 15-30 ghost employees of city hall.”
The hitman was asked, “Do you know Bong Go?” This was his answer:
Hitman: Yes
Interviewer: What do you know about him?
Hitman: Bong Go is the bagman who gives the money to finance when there is a killing operation. If not to the other group of hit men, then to us. But he also has a personal group of hit men, like Titing, he has his own personal hit men.
The DDS,the hitman relates, was led by police officers, particularly by SPO4 Arturo Lascanas. But they had under them a good number of civilian vigilantes for hire called the “force multipliers.” He was a civilian vigilante. Their legal cover was the Davao City Police Office’s unit called the Heinous Crime Task Group. It held office at the Almendras Gym compound.
This death squad was different from the police death squads that Duterte secretly ordered all police station commanders to organize. Lascañas narrates that the secret order was coursed through Bong Go way back in 2001. Garma later became station commander of the Santa Ana police station. The Philippine Death Squad that Garma relates in her latest affidavit to the Quadcom, which Duterte ordered her to organize in May 2016, was patterned after the death squads of the Davao city police stations.
Lascañas narrates to the ICC: “As members of the Death Squad, we follow this level of command, to wit: The final orders of executions/killings came from Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte himself, and sometimes thru SPO4 Sonny Buenaventura and Bong Go (during the Heinous Crime Group – 2001-2016).”
Previously, from 1998 to 2000, “the so-called ‘Clearance’ or ‘Order to Kill’ from Mayor RRD was sometimes coursed thru then Chief Inspector-PAOCTF Chief in Davao City Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa.”
There is an entry in the Lascañas Affidavit that demonstrates how Bong Go became a monstrous player in the kill economy of Rodrigo Duterte.
“Mr. Bong Go in one instance called me thru cellphone and informed me that he wanted to meet me in person for a very important matter. Bong Go told me that we would meet in Twin Pines Gun store parking area along Quirino Avenue, Davao City. It was almost lunchtime when Bong Go and I met and he told me about (a businessman’s; name withheld) complaint regarding the cash money pilferage in his business establishment involving trusted employees. A criminal case had been filed and warrants of arrest were issued, but the police had arrested no one yet. One of the suspects was a certain (woman), whose husband was the businessman’s personal driver and bodyguard. Mr. Go suggested to the businessman that the husband of the suspect be investigated under duress situation so that he would be forced to divulge the whereabouts of his wife. This proposed solution to the businessman’s complaint was cleared already by superman Digong Duterte.”
The plan hence was to abduct the husband. Continues Lascañas: “Bong Go instructed me just to prepare our ‘Tropa’ (Group), and gave me P20,000 cash money as our operation expenses.”
“A day later, I called up Bong Go, and informed him that our group is ready for the said abduction operation. Bong Go instructed me to standby and wait for his call. Our group was composed of then SPO2 Jim Abragan Tan, SPO1 Bienvenido Furog, PO3 Reynante Medina, and civilian asset Mamay Tapic as the driver of our vehicle (Nissan Urvan type Van). After several hours, Bong Go called me up and instructed me that we can abduct the husband at the entrance gate of the businessman’s residence along Sta. Ana Ave., Davao City, near the Sta. Ana Church, at more or less 9:00 o’clock in the morning.”
The man was indeed abducted but turned out to be uncooperative during the interrogation. “I informed Bong Go thru a cellphone call about the outcome of our group’s interrogation on the husband, per report to me by SPO2 Jim Tan. Bong Go told me that he would call me back.”
“More than an hour later, Bong Go called back and ordered me in Visayan, I quote: “Patya nâ ninyo pare, ilubong para dili na makit-an, clear na nâ kang Superman.” (You kill him, bro. Bury him so he will forever be missing. Superman has given his go signal).”
The husband was killed and was buried in an unmarked grave in Laud Quarry. To this day he is still deemed missing. The DDS assassins were rewarded. “Several days later, Bong Go called me to thank and inform me that he was sending somebody to my location to deliver P50,000 cash money as our reward money from superman Digong Duterte.”
This is the man who now wants to be reelected senator to do the work of a legislator fully paid by us the Filipino taxpayers — allowances, perks and all. It is time we use negative campaigning against this man who was a major partner in crime of Rodrigo Duterte in crimes against humanity.
Bong Go does not deserve the Filipino people. He belongs neither in the senate nor anywhere in government. He belongs to jail.
The views in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of VERA Files.
