The Philippine government has taken the extraordinary step of enlisting the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to help capture retired police Colonel Royina Garma, who stands accused of orchestrating the 2020 assassination of fellow Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) official Wesley Barayuga. This dramatic move comes amid a swirl of legal and political intrigue, with Garma’s name surfacing in connection to both the country’s war on drugs and ongoing international investigations into alleged human rights abuses under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
According to Inquirer and SunStar Philippines, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has formally requested Interpol to issue a red notice for Garma. This international alert would prompt law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest her, pending extradition or similar legal proceedings. NBI Director Jaime Santiago confirmed, “Yes, we have made the request,” in a message to reporters, underscoring the urgency and gravity of the government’s pursuit.
The chain of events leading to this point is as complex as it is charged. On October 15, 2025, the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court Branch 279 issued a hold departure order and an arrest warrant for Garma and her co-accused: Police Lieutenant Colonel Santie Mendoza, former National Police Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo, dismissed police officer Nelson Mariano, and resigned police personnel Jeremy Causapin. The court also ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel their passports, effectively branding them as fugitives. Notably, the charges of murder and frustrated murder are nonbailable, reflecting the seriousness of the alleged crimes.
The case dates back to July 30, 2020, when Wesley Barayuga—then board secretary of the PCSO, a former police brigadier general, and a lawyer—was gunned down by a motorcycle-riding assailant in Mandaluyong City. His driver survived the attack, but the killing sent shockwaves through the agency and the broader law enforcement community. At the time, Garma was serving as general manager of the PCSO, a post to which she had been appointed by President Duterte after retiring from the Philippine National Police.
For years, the investigation into Barayuga’s murder stalled. The NBI, after an initial probe, found itself stymied by a lack of evidence, and the case went cold. That changed in October 2024, when the NBI revived its inquiry following explosive testimony from one of the accused, Police Lieutenant Colonel Santie Mendoza, during a House inquiry into the nexus of illegal drugs, offshore gaming operations, and extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s administration.
Mendoza’s revelations were nothing short of damning. He testified that Edilberto Leonardo had contacted him multiple times between October 2019 and July 2020 regarding a “special operation” targeting Barayuga, who was allegedly considered a high-value target due to supposed links to illegal drugs. Mendoza further alleged that Garma provided 300,000 Philippine pesos to finance the operation. These claims, if substantiated, would point to a chilling conspiracy at the highest levels of law enforcement and government.
As the legal net tightened, events took a further twist. On September 6, 2025, Garma reportedly returned to the Philippines after her asylum application in the United States was rejected. Just a day later, she boarded a flight to Malaysia, where she was last seen in September 2025 for meetings with representatives of the International Criminal Court (ICC). According to SunStar Philippines, Garma had agreed to be a prosecution witness against former President Duterte, who is currently detained at The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity before the ICC. The timing of Garma’s movements—her return from the U.S., immediate travel to Malaysia, and willingness to testify against Duterte—has fueled speculation about her motives and the broader implications for Philippine politics.
Meanwhile, the wheels of justice continued to turn back home. On September 29 and 30, 2025, two of Garma’s co-accused—Nelson Mariano and Santie Mendoza—surrendered to the NBI. Their cooperation could prove pivotal as the case unfolds, although only Mendoza and Mariano were present during the arraignment and pretrial conference, according to court records cited by Inquirer.
The Philippine government’s request for Interpol’s intervention represents a rare escalation in a domestic criminal case, reflecting both the international dimension of Garma’s movements and the high-profile nature of the allegations. NBI Director Santiago noted that they are coordinating closely with the Malaysian government for Garma’s arrest, signaling the determination of authorities to bring her to justice regardless of borders.
Garma’s alleged role as the mastermind behind Barayuga’s murder is not her only brush with controversy. Her name has become entangled in the broader reckoning over the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, which has drawn intense scrutiny from human rights groups and the international community. The fact that Garma was reportedly in talks with the ICC as a potential witness against Duterte adds yet another layer of complexity—and perhaps irony—to the unfolding drama.
For Garma’s accusers, the case is about accountability and the rule of law. The charges laid out by the Mandaluyong court are severe, and the evidence presented by Mendoza’s testimony has breathed new life into a case many thought would never see resolution. For Garma’s defenders, however, questions remain about the timing of the allegations, her sudden willingness to cooperate with international prosecutors, and the possibility of political motivations behind her prosecution.
As for the broader public, the saga has become a litmus test for the Philippine justice system’s ability to pursue high-profile suspects even when they wield considerable influence and international connections. The involvement of Interpol and the ICC underscores the global stakes at play, as well as the increasingly porous boundaries between domestic and international law enforcement in an age of transnational crime and accountability.
It’s hard to say how this story will end. Will Garma be apprehended in Malaysia and extradited to face trial in the Philippines? Will her testimony before the ICC shed new light on the darkest chapters of the country’s recent history? Or will political maneuvering and legal technicalities once again thwart efforts at justice? For now, the world watches and waits as the search for Royina Garma continues—and with it, the quest for answers in a case that has come to symbolize both the promise and the peril of accountability in the Philippines.
