THE confession of Police Lt. Col. Santie Fuentes Mendoza that he organized the July 30, 2020 murder of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary, lawyer Wesley Barayuga, was shocking in its details but not surprising per se. "Drugs" was the magical phrase justifying murder in those days.
Gen. Debold Sinas, now retired, but in July 2020, the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, was quick to allege Barayuga's involvement in drugs. Barayuga had been chief of the Iloilo City Police Office in 2006-2008 and, some years later, deputy regional director of Region 6, also based in Iloilo City. Then-president Rodrigo Duterte had marked Iloilo as the most drug-infested corner of the country, forcing Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog to flee the country. The plan to murder Barayuga was hatched in October 2019, according to Mendoza, incidentally the same month that General Sinas assumed as chief NCRPO. Barayuga's relatives, friends and PMA classmates condemned Sinas' insinuations.
Continue reading with one of these options:
Ad-free access
P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
- Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
- Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)