Senator Leila de Lima presented a self-proclaimed hitman and former member of “Davao Death Squad,” Edgar Matobato at the resumption of the Senate hearing on extrajudicial killings related to the current administrations war on illegal drugs, on Thursday, September 15, 2016.
57-year old Matobato told the Senate committee that he was a part of DDS (Davao Death Squad) and has worked under the orders of Presient Rodrigo Duterte, then mayor of Davao City of 22 years, to do heinous crimes, including execution of suspected criminals.
DDS is the vigilante group that has long been believed responsible for extrajudicial killings in Davao City. Duterte has long been linked to this group, even before assuming the presidency.
“Ang trabaho namin ay pumapatay ng kriminal katulad ng drug pusher, rapist, snatcher. Ganyan ang pinapatay namin araw araw (Our job was to execute criminals in the city – drug pushers, rapists, and snatchers. We kill such (people) every day),” Matobato said.
Matobato narrated that he was first a member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) under the Scout Rangers in Davao City. He was later recruited into a group dubbed the “Lambada boys” and then hired by Duterte to join the DDS.
In 1993, Motabato said, more members were hired in the group, including rebel returnees and policemen.
Matobato said he was a “ghost employee” at the Davao City Hall for 24 years as part of the Civil Security Unit, whose job was only to kill criminals.
Davao Mosque Bombing
Matobato disclosed that in 1993, Duterte himself ordered the bombing of Bangkerohan Mosque in Davao City in 1993 and the killing of Muslims after the bombing of the Davao Cathedral in Davao City. He confessed that he himself threw the grenade at Bangkerohan Mosque.
“Umorder si Duterte na masscare-in yung Mosque ng mga Muslim. (Duterte issued the order to kill the Muslims in the mosque),” adding the DDS was divided into three groups tasked to plant bombs.
Matobato reiterated that Duterte issued such order as revenge to the bombing of the Davao Cathedral.
“Para na rin kaming terrorist, Ma’am, kasi hindi naman kasali yung bobombahin yung mga Muslim. (We were like terrorists, Ma’am, because the Muslims were not supposed to be bombed),” he said.
Journalist Jun Pala Murder
Matobato testified that Duterte also ordered the murder of Jun Pala, a broadcaster of Davao-based radio dxGO, who was killed on September 6, 2003. He was a vocal critic of then mayor.
Matobato said Pala’s death was then blamed on the New People’s Army (NPA).
“Paano papasok ang NPA sa loob ng Davao sa dami ng pulis? Kontrolado ang NPA sa Davao kasi kaibigan ni Mayor Duterte. (How come NPA can enter the vicinity of Davao when there’s a lot of police? The NPA is controlled in Davao because they are friends with Mayor Duterte),” he said.
Back in May, Duterte cited the case of Pala when he said that most journalists who are murdered are corrupt.
“Ang example natin dito, kung tagarito ka man, si Pala. (One of our examples, if you are, is Pala) I don’t want to demean his memory but he was a rotten son of a bitch. He deserved it,” said Duterte.
Bato involved in Sally Makdum Execution
Matobato accused Duterte of the abduction of a suspected terrorist “Sally Makdum” from Samal Island in 2002.
Matobato also claims that Makdum was brought to the office of then chief of Davao City’s Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa now Chief Director General of the Philippine National Police.
Matobato and his group then proceeded by hanging Makdum and chopping his body which was buried at the Laud Quarry.
But General dela Rosa denied knowing Matobato, “This is the fist time that I see this person.” He admitted though that he has heard his name before. He also denied that he knew about that operation and that Makdum was never brought to his office.
During a separate interview, Bato questions that the Senate hearing now should be focused on the current problem which is the rise of killings attributed to the Committee on Justice and Human Rights on the spate of killings in the country. “Creation lang yan ng media (It’s just a creation of the media),” Bato referring to DDS.
Duterte Ordered Assassination of De Lima
Matobato told De Lima that Duterte gave an order to ambush her in 2009. Senator Leila De Lima has been investigating extrajudicial killings in Davao City since then. She is also a known critic of Duterte.
“Dumisisyon sila, Ma’am, na aambushin ka namin doon, (They decided, Ma’am, that we ambush you there),” he said and added that the ambush did not happen.
Nograles’ Bodyguards Killings
Matobato revealed that Duterte gave orders to abduct and murder four bodyguards of former House Speaker Prospero Nograles. In 2010. Nograles was known to be a close rival of Duterte in Davao City, until they ended their political feud when Duterte decided to run as president.
Matobato said he himself carried the bodies of the kidnapped bodyguards, one by one, who were eventually killed by hanging.
“Biniyak namin ‘yung tiyan tapos ako ang nagkarga ng bangka doon sa laot. Tinapon namin. Nilagyan ng hollow blocks, tig tatlo kada isang tao,. (We cut their stomachs in halves, then I carried (the bodies) to the ocean. We threw (the bodies there) We placed hollow blocks, 3 per person),” he recounted.
But in a statement, Nograles counters Matobato’s revelation “From the time I was chief-of-staff of former Speaker Prospero C. Nograles to the time I was elected as congressman, no supporter of ours or persons under our employ was ever killed due to politics.”
Nograles clarified that his feud with then Mayor Duterte were pure political and far from personal. “I can only suspect that this guy is being manipulated by some people to only serve their own selfish interests,” he said.
Paolo Duterte involved in Richard King Murder
Matobato shared that Richard King, a wealthy businessman was also murdered under the order of President Duterte’s son, Paolo Duterte. King was killed because of a feud with Paolo Duterte over a woman in 2014.
Matobato revealed that Joel Topales aka “Turco” and Loloy Gabas were given P500,000 for King’s assassination. The two gunmen were also later killed, he said.
He also claimed that Paolo Duterte had been using drugs as he had escorted the vice mayor since he was young.
Paolo Duterte in a released a statement “What (Senator Leila) De Lima and this certain Matobato say in public are bare allegations in the absence of proof. They are mere hearsay. I will not dignify with an answer the accusations of a madman.”
Other Allegations
Matobato revealed that part of the cops’ modus was to plant guns on the crime scene. “Ang pulis laging may reserba na baril para ‘pag may mapatay, lalagyan (The police always had a reserved gun so that when a person is killed, the gun can be planted),” he said.
Matobato also accused Duterte of the murders of a fixer at the Land Transportation Office, a religious group member named Jun Barsabal, a dance instructor who was allegedly the boyfriend of Duterte’s sister Jocelyn, among many others.
Matobato said they killed over a thousand individuals from 1988 to 2013.
“They were killed like chickens,” he said. He felt guilty and backed out from DDS and entered the government’s Witness Protection Program. But he left the program after Duterte won the presidency, fearing he would be killed.
Andanar: Duterte not capable of Matobato’s allegations
Presidential spokesman, Martin Andanar rejected the allegations saying previous investigation has already been done by the Commission on Human Rights before and failed due to lack of evidence. “I don’t think he is capable of giving those orders,” Andanar said.
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