Royina Garma seeks US asylum amid ongoing detention and unresolved legal issues in the Philippines, her lawyer confirmed.
Retired Police Colonel Royina Garma filed for asylum in the United States in November 2024 following her arrest due to a canceled visa, according to her legal counsel, Atty. Emerito Quilang.
The first hearing for her asylum was set on April 2 but it was canceled, said Quilang.
Quilang did not disclose the grounds for the asylum request, noting that Garma is represented by a different attorney abroad.
Before flying to the US, Garma had faced scrutiny from the House Quad Committee during hearings on the controversial war on drugs under the Duterte administration.
Garma said she is being linked to the murder of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga, which she has denied.
She faces charges of murder and frustrated murder along with former NAPOLCOM Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo.
Garma remains in US custody and is expected to be released only if her asylum plea is granted.
If her asylum application is denied, she could be extradited to the Philippines under the existing extradition treaty between the two countries.