ILOILO City – A police officer has admitted regret for following what he claimed were orders from a superior at the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) that led to the murder of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga, a retired police general.
Formerly the Iloilo City police director before his PCSO stint, Atty. Wesley Barayuga was gunned down on July 30, 2020 in Mandaluyong City. He died.
Barayuga was ambushed after leaving his office at around 4:35 p.m.
On September 27 during a House of Representatives hearing, Police Lieutenant Colonel Santie Mendoza became emotional as he revealed the details of his involvement in the killing, stating that Barayuga was innocent.
Cong. Gerville Luistro of Batangas questioned Mendoza on why he appeared to be crying and trembling while reading his sworn statement. Mendoza explained that he held his senior officers in high regard, yet they assigned him a task that deeply troubled him. He named two former police officials — National Police Commission (Napolcom) commissioner Edilberto Leonardo and former PCSO general manager Royina Garma — as being involved in orchestrating the assassination.
Both Leonardo and Garma denied having anything to do with Barayuga’s killing.
Barayuga was Iloilo City Police Office director for two years from 2006 to 2008. He later became deputy regional director for operations of the Police Regional Office 6.
In 2012 Barayuga led the regional police’s Task Force Armas that went after gun owners who failed to renew their firearms’ licenses.
In 2013, Barayuga held a general position in Camp Crame as executive officer for the Directorate for Logistics.
According to Mendoza, Leonardo initially approached him with a mission to target Barayuga, falsely portraying him as a high-value individual involved in the illegal drug trade. Despite expressing reluctance, Mendoza said he was pressured to proceed with the operation, which was presented as an opportunity to advance his career. Leonardo assured him that the plan had Garma’s backing.
In July 2020, Mendoza, alongside fellow officer Nelson Mariano, was tasked with executing the hit. They allegedly received detailed instructions, including Barayuga’s whereabouts at the PCSO office and information about his service vehicle. Mendoza shared that Leonardo provided a photograph of Barayuga during a meeting inside the PCSO and later gave the go-ahead to carry out the attack when Barayuga left the building. The final orders were to allegedly eliminate Barayuga once he was outside, and Mendoza relayed these details to Mariano.
Mendoza disclosed that Garma, through Leonardo, provided a payment of P300,000 for the job.
Barayuga sustained fatal gunshot wounds, including one to the head.
Reflecting on the incident, Mendoza expressed deep remorse, stating that he now realizes they had killed an innocent man. The emotional toll of his involvement was evident during the hearing, as Mendoza acknowledged that following orders from his upperclassmen has ultimately ruined his life./PN
