During a Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing on Monday, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada questioned Duterte about Garma's claim that he wanted to implement the “Davao template”, a system rewarding police officers for killing drug suspects on a national level.
“Did you call her in May 2016?” Estrada asked.
“I don’t call police officers at home. Was she referring to a call when I was at home? I don’t go there,” Duterte replied.
Estrada clarified, “At that time, you were still president-elect, Mr. President.”
“I do not recall calling her. Why would I? When I became president, I had everything at my disposal,” Duterte said.
Estrada then inquired whether it was true that Duterte instructed Garma to find a task force head affiliated with the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), leading her to recommend retired police colonel and National Police Commission official Edilberto Leonardo.
“I hate to say it, but she’s lying. Why would I choose someone from the Iglesia ni Cristo? Should I also include Aglipayans and Mormons? Why single out the INC? It doesn’t make sense,” he responded in Filipino.
“That’s their job; I’m a mayor and then a president. I don’t care about their religion. Just do your job. They know how I speak to them. Don’t feed me that nonsense,” he added.
At a House of Representatives quad committee hearing on October 11, Garma stated that Duterte’s administration had adopted the “Davao template” for the nationwide drug war, where officers involved in killing drug suspects were financially rewarded. She outlined three methods of payment: rewards for each suspect killed, payments for planned operations, and reimbursement of operational expenses, ranging from P20,000 to P1 million.
Garma claimed it was Duterte who initially reached out to her about creating a national task force.
“I mentioned Leonardo’s name to the president. On the same day, someone named ‘Muking’ called me for Leonardo’s contact details, which I provided. A week later, I learned from Arthur Narsolis that Leonardo had been summoned by the President to a meeting at the Mandaya Hotel in Davao,” Garma stated.