From The Manila Times -
MANILA, Philippines — Former presidential chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo dismissed the affidavit of former policeman and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Royina Garma over claims of a "Davao model" of payment and rewards for killings during former president Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs".
In a statement on Saturday, Panelo said the model was "pure imagination or fertile speculation" and that the alleged meeting between her and Duterte was in May, just around the time before Duterte took his oath of office.
"Garma does not claim that she was a part of or an operator or executioner of the Davao model, so how could age have known of its operation, assuming it did exist," Panelo stated.
"It is noticeable that her so-called knowledge of the alleged plan to fight illegal drugs is all hearsay. She says the information was conveyed or relayed to her by her sources. She has absolutely no personal knowledge," he added.
Panelo also thought that Garma may have "succumbed to threat or intimidation under pain of incarceration if she did not make the allegations contained in her affidavit".
"One can not launch a successful war on drugs without an effective legal strategy to neutralize the drug cartel and organized crime, which necessarily will involve funding from the government," he said. "Police operations must be sufficiently financed for effective enforcement of the laws against illegal drug trafficking."
He also said there was no such thing as Duterte giving reward money in exchange for killing anyone involved in illegal drugs.
"When [Duterte] declared war on drugs and made a statement that he would kill those involved in illegal drugs, he was making a commitment that he would pursue them to the ends of the earth to prosecute and put them behind bars, which he did during his incumbency, resulting in its almost total destruction that brought security and peace of mind to the citizenry," Panelo said.
The veteran lawyer and TV host also cited that when Duterte was still campaigning for the presidency in 2016, he vowed to eradicate the "illegal drug menace, run after criminals, kick out corrupt government officials and give his countrymen comfortable lives."
"The political enemies and detractors of [Duterte] will not stop at throwing the kitchen sink at him by using coercion and money to compel persons to testify falsely against him," Panelo said. "These political scoundrels will not succeed. The Filipino people can see through their evil intentions."
Garma made her allegations during the House of Representatives' quad committee hearing on Friday.
For more, check out The Manila Times.