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Palace accepts resignation of Napolcom exec tagged in drug war killings

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Pia Gutierrez

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has accepted the resignation of National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, who has been linked to but has not been charged over killings during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, Presidential Communications Secretary Cesar Chavez confirmed Monday.</p><p>Leonardo has been linked by resource persons at House hearings to the murder of three Chinese drug convicts inside a Davao prison facility in 2016 and to the killing of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board secretary Wesley Barayuga in 2020, a case that the Philippine National Police has reopened.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/22/house-quad-comm-to-invite-duterte-over-killing-of-3-chinese-drug-lords-1258">READ: House quad comm to invite Duterte over killing of 3 Chinese drug lords</a></div><p>Leonardo, a former Criminal and Investigation Detection Group chief who was appointed Napolcom commissioner representing the Law Enforcement Sector, filed his resignation on October 4.</p><p>He has denied his involvement in the killings.</p><p>In his letter to Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla dated October 8, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that Leonardo’s resignation has been accepted “effective immediately.”</p><p>Former police official Royina Garma last Friday told members of the panels holding hearings into issues linked to the Duterte administration, including alleged extrajudicial killings in the so-called war on drugs, that she had recommended Leonardo to former President Rodrigo Duterte when he was looking for a police officer to form a task force against illegal drugs.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/14/bong-go-defends-duterte-after-garma-expos-but-distances-self-from-drug-war-830" id="isPasted">RELATED: Bong Go defends Duterte after Garma exposé but distances self from drug war</a></div><p>That task force was allegedly based on the &quot;Davao Model&quot; of quotas and rewards for the deaths of drug personalities.</p><p>Garma said Leonardo has also asked her to join the task force, but said she had declined &quot;citing my lack of experience in handling such operations.&quot;</p><p>Sens. Christopher &quot;Bong&quot; Go and Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; Dela Rosa — Philippine National Police chief at the start of the drug war — have denied Garma&#x27;s allegations and former Duterte legal counsel Salvador Panelo has dismissed Garma&#x27;s allegations as just hearsay that he said will not stand up in court.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/13/panelo-plays-down-garma-testimony-that-gives-drug-war-families-hope-for-justice-1730">WRAP: Panelo plays down Garma claims that give ‘drug war’ families hope for justice amid politics</a></div><p>Meanwhile, Malacanang says it will support the filing of charges against resigned Napolcom Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo but clarified that it will leave the decision to file entirely to the DOJ or Ombudsman. </p><p>&quot;The Palace will support the filing but will leave the decision to file entirely to the DOJ or Ombudsman,&quot; Bersamin said in a message to Palace reporters Monday.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2NEZQ3QmEWo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>In his letter to Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla dated October 8, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that Leonardo’s resignation has been accepted “effective immediately.”</p>

In his letter to Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla dated October 8, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that Leonardo’s resignation has been accepted “effective immediately.”