Probe on the rising number of drug-related killings in the country by The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights and Public Order and Dangerous Drugs resumed on Thursday.
At the third hearing, confessed killer Edgar Matobato testified and claimed that President Duterte himself founded the "Davao Death Squad" in 1988 and ordered the killings of criminals.
Here are 10 of his allegations and a little back story on them:
#1: Matobato said he is a former member of Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit with the Scout Rangers before Duterte hired him to join the DDS.
Back Story: In a phone interview with News5, Philippine Army spokesperson Col. Benjamin Hao said that he could not find Matobato in their database.
He said: "We have no Matobato in our list. Kanina pa ako check ng check, wala talaga eh.”
#2: Matobato said Duterte founded the Davao Death Squad, which was originally called “Lambada Boys,” in 1988.
Back Story: Duterte won as Davao City Mayor in 1988.
Meanwhile, "Lambada" is a Brazilian dance which became popular in the '80s, particularly in 1988. French group Kaoma released a song called "Lambada" in 1989 that helped spread the dance craze. A film "Lambada" was also released in 1990.
#3: Matobato said Duterte ordered the bombing of mosques in Davao City after the 1993 bombing of the Davao Cathedral. He said the Davao Death Squad was divided into three groups to plant bombs in mosques and kill Muslims. However, he said, the bombs exploded when there was nobody in the mosques.
Back Story: In 1993, San Pedro Cathedral of Davao City was targeted by a grenade bombing for the second time. The first explosion was on April 19, 1981 while the second was on December 28, 1993. The 1993 bombing killed six people and injured 151. A bomb exploded in a mosque eight hours after the Cathedral explosion. Nobody was hurt in that blast.
#4: Matobato said that in 2002, he and other members of DDS, kidnapped a suspected international terrorist named Sali Makdum in Samal. He said Makdum was brought to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) office before they hung him and then chopped up and buried the body at the Maa Quarry or Laud Quarry, owned by Bienvenido Laud. He said Philippine National Police Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa was then chief of PAOCTF in Davao.
Back Story: Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former PNP chief and PAOCTF head, questioned Sali Makdum's existence. He tried searching the name online and no details appeared about the person. PNP chief Dela Rosa also denied that his office ever had a target named Sali Makdum.
Dela Rosa served as head of the Mindanao satellite office of the PAOCTF. His accomplishments include winning the post the PAOCTF Satellite Office of the Year award in1999.
#5: Matobato claimed he was a “ghost employee” as he was employed as Civil Security Unit but only worked to kill criminals.
Back Story: Sotto clarified Matobato cannot be considered a ghost employee but only a contractual worker.
The Commission on Audit (COA) on June 2015 questioned Duterte for hiring over 11,000 contractual workers in 2014. The COA report said there was no written policy or manual on the hiring of employees particularly under contract of services and job orders.
Duterte denied he was responsible for the questionable hiring of contractual workers and cited they were hired in 2014 under former Davao City Mayor Benjamin de Guzman.
#6: Matobato claimed Duterte ordered the DDS to kidnap and kill the staff members and bodyguards of former House Speaker Prospero Nograles when Nograles ran against Duterte in the mayoral elections in 2010.
Back Story: Nograles ran against Duterte's daughter, current Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in 2010.
Nograles' son, Rep. Karlo Nograles, has said that no supporter nor person under employ has ever been killed due to politics.
#7: Matobato alleged Duterte ordered DDS to kill De Lima during her visit to the Laud Quarry, however she left the area before she could be ambushed.
Back Story: De Lima visited Laud Quarry in 2009 when she was chair of the Commission on Human Rights. A Panabo City Jail inmate later accused De Lima, Rep. Prospero Nograles and six ranking police officials of taking him out of his detention cell without court order and questioning him about the Laud Quarry. De Lima denied this allegation.
#8: Matobato claimed Duterte ordered the DDS to kill broadcaster Jun Pala.
Back Story: On September 6, 2003, Pala was gunned downed by two men on a motorcycle while walking home from work. Duterte has denied any involvement in the killing and said is a press conference before he officially took his oath as the president that he knows who killed Pala.
#9: Matobato said Duterte also ordered the killing of a dance instructor, whom he claimed was a boyfriend of the president’s sister, Jocelyn. He said the instructor was kidnapped and later killed at the Laud Quarry.
Back Story: In a radio interview on Thursday, Jocelyn denied the allegations. She said she never had a dance instructor boyfriend. She is considering filing charges against Matobato.
#10: Matobato also mentioned Duterte uses the code name “Charlie Mike.”
Back Story: CM simply stands for city mayor. In the military phonetics, CM would be "Charlie Mike."
Source / Image: The Philippine Star
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