A supposed leader of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DD) on Monday denied the existence of the vigilante group, saying it was only a media hype.
Self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato earlier claimed in a Senate probe that he killed people on orders of then-Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, adding that the group was led by SPO3 Arthur Lascañas of Davao's heinous crime unit.
During the continuation of the Senate hearing on extrajudicial killings related to Duterte's war on drugs, Lascañas denied the existence of the death squad and said that Matobato is a liar.
“Wala pong Davao Death Squad, your honor. Media hype lang ‘yan. [There is no Davao Death Squad, your honor. That’s only media hype.]” Lascañas told Senator Leila de Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.
Based on Matobato's earlier statements, Lascañas was supposedly Duterte's "right-hand man" and Duterte's closest aide.
“Si Arthur Lascañas, para itong general, maski colonel nauutusan niya sa Davao City. Ito ang pinaka-powerful na pulis sa Davao. [Arthur Lascañas is like a general. He can even give orders to a colonel. He is the most powerful cop in Davao City.],” Matobato said during a Senate hearing on September 15.
Lascañas explained that he only knew Matobato because of the former's real estate business, adding that Matobato got commissions from him for selling real estate properties.
Matobato said the group carried out direct orders from Duterte or from Davao City cops close to him.
“Ang trabaho namin ay pumapatay ng mga kriminal tulad ng drug pusher, rapist, snatcher. Ganyan ang pinapatay namin araw-araw,” he said.
[Our primary task was to kill criminals such as drug pushers, rapists, and snatchers. Those were the kinds of people we killed everyday.]
Matobato added that the DDS was led by cops, not by civilian vigilantes.
“Sa pulis wala nang imbestigasyon na ganyan…Walang nahuhuling mga DDS kasi mga pulis yan. Hindi mga civilian ang DDS,” Matobato explained.
[No investigations were made into the killings. No DDS member was ever caught because they were composed of policemen. They were not civilians.]
Matobato added that New People’s Army (NPA) rebel returnees who were close to Duterte were also made part of the group. He estimates that there are currently about 300 rebel returnees in the death squad.
Source / Image: ABS-CBN
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