Mary Ann Domingo,(center) the wife of Luis Bonifacio and mother of Gabriel Bonifacio, with families of other victims of drug war killings and human rights defenders after the mass outside the San Roque Parish Church in Kaloocan City on Saturday, June 15, 2024. They gather to pray for justice as the verdict on two counts of homicide against police officers, scheduled for June 18, draws near. Luis and Gabriel were killed on September 15, 2016.Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Pia Gutierrez

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:900px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172905177584120240615-mass-for-justice-ejk-MT-7.jpg" style="width:900px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Mary Ann Domingo (center), the wife of Luis Bonifacio and mother of Gabriel Bonifacio, with families of other victims of drug war killings and human rights defenders after the mass outside the San Roque Parish Church in Caloocan City on Saturday, June 15, 2024. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Malacañang supports the Philippine National Police’s plan to reopen the investigation of high-profile killings during the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Wednesday.</p><p>The Department of Justice in 2020 began a review of killings in drug war operations and found that <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/24/21/guevarra-weapons-in-nanlaban-cases-not-examined-but-justice-system-working">police had failed to follow protocol</a> in half of the cases it looked into. It said in 2022 that cases had been filed in just four of 52 cases reviewed.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/10/04/21/drug-war-review-guevarra-promises-accountability-but">RELATED: Guevarra promises drug war accountability, but non-committal about President</a></div><p>“The reopening of the investigations of the high-profile killings related to the war on drugs should indicate that the Marcos administration places the highest importance on the fair dispensation of justice and on the universal observance of the rule of law in the country,” Bersamin said in a statement sent to Palace reporters.</p><div><strong>PNP PROBE INTO &#x27;REWARDS&#x27; FOR DRUG PERSONALITIES KILLED</strong></div><p>The Philippine National Police has said <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/14/ph-national-police-to-investigate-garma-s-drug-war-claims-2101">it will form a committee to investigate allegations that cash rewards were given to police officers </a>who killed drug suspects during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.</p><p>Retired police colonel Royina Garma last week directly implicated Duterte and his former aide Sen. Bong Go in orchestrating a cash reward system in the extrajudicial killings of drug suspects during his term. </p><p>A former PNP official known for narco-operations in August also confirmed that there was a &quot;quota and rewards system&quot; in the drug war.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/28/police-officer-confirms-quota-reward-system-during-duterte-drug-war-1253" id="isPasted">Police officer confirms &#x27;quota, reward system&#x27; during Duterte drug war</a></div><p>In her affidavit submitted to the House quad committee — four panels holding the joint eharings — Garma gave details on Duterte&#x27;s and Go&#x27;s alleged roles in overseeing and coordinating the reward system for police officers who killed drug suspects.</p><p>Go, Duterte&#x27;s close-in aide, denied being involved in the drug war when he served as the president&#x27;s special assistant from 2016 up until October of 2018 when he started his campaign to be a senator.</p><p>He was elected in May 2019. </p><div><a 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">Bong Go defends Duterte after Garma exposé but distances self from drug war</a></div><p>Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, chief of the Philippine National Police in the early years of the Duterte administration&#x27;s so-called war on drugs, said he knows nothing about a reward system for cops involved in anti-narcotics operations that Garma said was adapted from the &quot;Davao Model&quot;.</p><p>Authorities have acknowledged more than 6,000 deaths in the war on drugs, although human rights groups have higher estimates on the number of people killed in anti-narcotics operations.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/14/tearful-garma-stops-exit-of-drug-war-victims-families-to-apologize-1439" id="isPasted">Tearful Garma stops exit of drug war victims&#x27; families to apologize</a></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/12/bato-says-he-has-no-idea-about-reward-system-for-cops-in-drug-war-1032" id="isPasted">Bato says he has &#x27;no idea&#x27; about alleged reward system for cops in drug war</a></div><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/10/14/palace-ph-not-sending-quad-comm-findings-to-icc-1609" id="isPasted">Palace: PH not sending quad comm findings to ICC</a></div><div><strong>—reports from Pia Gutierrez and Jauhn Villaruel, ABS-CBN News<br/></strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><strong><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/lXdVLLLJTyQ?&amp;t=30s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></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/SVGMNKbJuwI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> <br class="fr-draggable"/></span></div>

<p>Malacañang supports the Philippine National Police’s plan to reopen the investigation of high-profile killings during the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Wednesday.</p>

Malacañang supports the Philippine National Police’s plan to reopen the investigation of high-profile killings during the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Wednesday.

Palace supports PNP's reinvestigation of drug war killings | ABS-CBN

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Lifestyle

Sports

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

News

Palace supports PNP's reinvestigation of drug war killings

Pia Gutierrez,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 16, 2024 12:33 PM PHT

Read More:

war on drugs

PNP

Malacanang

Rodrigo Duterte

Royina Garma

Lucas Bersamin

ABSNews

ANC promo

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.