House quad-comm confirms Garma remains in detention in US

National

AS IT concluded its series of hearings on several controversial issues, the House quad-committee (quad-comm) gave an update on the situation of Royina Garma in the United States (US).

Garma, the former general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and retired police colonel, had been one of the most prominent and controversial figures in the committee’s investigation.

According to Charlie Florian Prenicolas, Assistant Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs' (DFA) Passport Division, Garma remains in detention at the South Louisiana Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Center in the United States. She has been held there since receiving an expedited removal order upon her arrival in San Francisco in late 2024.

Prenicolas informed the quad-comm that the Philippine Consulate General in Houston has been monitoring Garma’s situation.

“Our consulate in Houston has already reached out to U.S. authorities and provided their contact details to ICE with instructions to pass them on to Ms. Garma,” Prenicolas said in a Philstar report.

However, Garma has yet to make contact with the consulate.

When asked about the grounds for her detention, Prenicolas confirmed that the removal order is currently under appeal. He added that Garma was scheduled for a court appearance in December 2024 in Louisiana, but she remains in custody pending further developments.

This hearing marked the 15th and final session of the joint panel led by Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers.

Garma gained national attention in October 2023 when she testified before the committee, accusing former president Rodrigo Duterte of initiating a reward-based program in 2016 that incentivized police officers to kill drug suspects. This explosive testimony became the most significant revelation of the hearings. Duterte is currently facing trial for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Garma’s testimony also touched on her alleged romantic involvement with Duterte, a topic that sparked widespread public and political interest throughout the committee's investigation.(Cristy Mae Montallana PIT Comm Intern)