Retired police colonel Royina Garma is back on Philippine soil after being deported from the United States, capping off a dramatic chapter that entwines her fate with the country’s controversial war on drugs and the ongoing legal reckoning of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Garma’s return on Saturday, September 6, 2025, followed the rejection of her asylum request by U.S. authorities, who had held her since November 2024 when her visa was canceled. The saga, as reported by GMA Integrated News, has reignited debate about accountability, justice, and the far-reaching consequences of the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Garma’s career is a study in both ambition and controversy. She graduated from the Philippine National Police Academy in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in Public Safety, launching her law enforcement journey as a Police Inspector in 1998. Her rise through the ranks was swift: by 2001, she was promoted to Police Chief Inspector. Not content to rest on her laurels, Garma pursued further education, earning a master’s degree in education management from Rizal Memorial Colleges in 2007 and an executive doctorate in leadership from the University of Makati in 2019.
According to the Presidential Communication Office, Garma’s early assignments included leading the Davao City Women and Children’s Protection Desk. Her trajectory took a decisive turn in 2018 when she became Police Colonel, serving as City Director of the Cebu City Police Office from June 13, 2018, to June 30, 2019. Her leadership in Cebu coincided with the height of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, which would later become a lightning rod for both domestic and international scrutiny.
In 2019, then-President Duterte appointed Garma as general manager and vice-chairperson of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), replacing Alexander Balutan. Garma recounted meeting Duterte in May 2016, mere weeks before his inauguration, a meeting that would shape her subsequent roles in government. During a House Quad Committee inquiry, Garma revealed that Duterte had asked her to identify an officer capable of transplanting the so-called "Davao model"—a system of payments and rewards for anti-drug operations, ranging from P20,000 to P1 million—onto the national stage.
But Garma’s ascent was not without its setbacks. She was summoned by the House Quadcom after former Davao Penal and Prison Farm head Senior Superintendent Gerardo Padilla alleged that she had instructed him not to interfere with operations targeting three Chinese inmates convicted of drug offenses. The committee cited Garma in contempt for "lying and evading questions," a mark that would linger as she faced mounting legal challenges.
The most severe among these is the complaint for murder and frustrated murder, stemming from allegations that she masterminded the 2020 killing of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga. Garma has categorically denied any involvement, maintaining her innocence even as a panel of lawmakers grilled her over the accusations. The case remains unresolved, casting a long shadow over her public service record.
Her legal troubles took an international turn in November 2024, when she was arrested in the United States after her visa was canceled. According to her Philippine lawyer, Emerito Quilang, Garma filed for asylum shortly after her detention, although Quilang admitted he was "not privy" to the details, as Garma had another lawyer representing her abroad. The Department of Justice, under Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, ordered the Bureau of Immigration to facilitate her return, and by June 9, 2025, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Garma remained at a U.S. immigration facility, awaiting the outcome of her case.
Meanwhile, the broader context of Garma’s story has been shaped by the dramatic developments surrounding her former patron, Rodrigo Duterte. On September 7, 2025, former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog publicly celebrated the news that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had arrested Duterte over thousands of extrajudicial killings linked to his administration’s bloody war on drugs. In a reflective Facebook post, Mabilog wrote, "Today, as the news of the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte reaches us, I pause not to celebrate but to reflect with a heart full of gratitude to God—for His justice, His mercy, and His unfailing love."
Mabilog’s own history with Duterte is fraught. In 2017, Duterte accused Mabilog of ties to illegal drugs and to slain drug lord Melvin "Dragon" Odicta, going so far as to label Iloilo City the most "shabulized" in the country under Mabilog’s leadership. The accusations prompted Mabilog to abandon his post and flee to the United States, making him the only Iloilo mayor to do so among those linked to the drug trade. He returned to the Philippines only after Duterte’s term ended, but not without legal baggage. Dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2017 for serious dishonesty over unexplained wealth worth P8.9 million, Mabilog received executive clemency from Malacañang on administrative penalties. Still, he faces graft charges before the Sandiganbayan related to awarding a government contract to a towing firm in which he allegedly had an interest. Upon his return in 2025, he posted a P90,000 bail for his temporary liberty.
Mabilog’s reaction to Duterte’s arrest was both personal and political. He recalled the hardships his family endured during his exile, particularly the pain suffered by his late mother, wife, and children. He framed Duterte’s arrest as a moment for justice and national healing, urging others who had faced political persecution to "hold on" and trust in the eventual triumph of justice. "To all those who, like me and my family, still live in fear but continue to hope and believe in justice—hold on. God has seen every tear, heard every cry, and His justice will always come in His perfect time," Mabilog said.
Garma’s deportation and Duterte’s arrest are not isolated events, but rather interconnected threads in the ongoing debate over the legacy of the drug war. For some, these developments signal a long-overdue reckoning with a period marked by violence, impunity, and political vendettas. For others, they raise questions about due process, the politicization of justice, and the future of law enforcement in the Philippines. The cases against Garma and Mabilog, each with their own twists and turns, reflect the complexity of seeking accountability in a system where power and justice often collide.
As Garma faces the legal music in Manila and Duterte awaits his fate before the ICC, the Philippines finds itself at a crossroads—grappling not only with the ghosts of its recent past but also with the challenge of forging a more just and accountable future. The coming months will test the country’s institutions, its leaders, and its people as they confront the unresolved questions left in the wake of the drug war.
