(UPDATED) National Police Commission (Napolcom) Commissioner and former Davao Region CIDG Chief Edilberto Leonardo has been cited in contempt for “lying” on Friday by the House Quad Committee investigating the alleged extrajudicial killings in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Leonardo was ordered detained at the House of Representatives until the joint panel completes its committee report.

This came after ABANG LINGKOD Party List Representative Joseph Stephen Paduano asked Leonardo regarding his supposed meeting with former CIDG officer Royina Garma and Davao Prison and Penal Farm warden Senior Superintendent Gerardo Padilla before the killing of three Chinese drug lords inside the Davao Prison in August 2016.

According to Padilla, during the meeting at the Davao CIDG station, Leonardo talked to him for 30 minutes and told him to cooperate in the plan to kill the three Chinese inmates.

Both Garma and Padilla confirmed the said meeting, but Leonardo repeatedly denied before the Quad Comm that there was such a meeting.

This prompted Paduano to move to cite Leonardo in contempt.

“Do you confirm that indeed Supt. Padilla had a meeting with you in the CIDG office? Kasi po marami pa tayong witnesses na lalabas din, at saka alam na namin ‘yung totoong pangyayari. Alam na namin ang puzzle,” the ABANG LINGKOD Party List lawmaker asked.

“No, Mr. Chair… No meeting happened,” Leonardo replied.

“I move to cite in contempt former Col. Leonardo for evading, lying in this committee,” Paduano said.

Padilla and hitman Leopoldo Tan Jr. previously implicated former President Rodrigo Duterte in the slay of the three Chinese inmates in Davao Prison, but Duterte’s allies tagged the allegations as part of a “demolition job” against the Dutertes.

GARMA’S COUSIN

Garma’s cousin, Police Sergeant Enecito Ubales Jr., was also cited in contempt for “consistently lying”, and ordered detained at the Quezon City jail until the Quad Comm concludes its investigation.

Antipolo 2nd District City Rep. Romeo Acop asked Ubales regarding the claim that he handed Police Captain Delfinito Anuba millions of pesos to be converted to dollars in a money exchange in Manila. Anuba claimed the amount reached P30 million one time, and that he allegedly picked it up from Ubales at the PCSO building. Ubales denied Anuba’s claims.

“Alam mo Sgt. Ubales, mas paniniwalaan ko ito. Bakit? Ito assigned lang kay Col. Vilela. Ikaw, kasama mo si Madam Garma ng matagal. ‘Di ba? Sinungaling ka rin eh,” Acop said.

The order to convert the money supposedly came from Garma’s former husband, Col. Roland Vilela, who was then assigned as the Philippine Police Attache to the United States. Vilela said the money came from his salary at the PNP.