A Davao City policeman alleged to be “very close” to President Duterte yesterday denied the existence of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) and considered whistleblower Edgar Matobato’s testimony before the Senate politically motivated.
At the resumption of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights probe into the alleged extrajudicial killings, Senior Police Officer 3 Arthur Lascañas yesterday took the witness stand and refuted Matobato’s earlier testimony linking him to a number of summary executions committed by members of the alleged death squad, saying he is lying.
Lascañas is just one of the Davao city-based policemen who have been accused of being part of the infamous squad. In the committee’s fourth hearing, he denied he killed certain personalities Matobato had mentioned during his testimony, supposedly upon the orders of Duterte, then Davao City mayor.
Lascañas, 55, currently on non-duty status and is set to retire on December 16, 2016, also told senators that the Davao City police station’s Heinous Crime Section (HCS) consisted of all policemen and that no rebel-returnees were part of the division.
Questioned by Sen. Leila de Lima, he did not deny that he became friends with Matobato and even helped him land a job with a mayor in Samal Island. Sometimes, he invited Matobato to his birthday party.
Matobato had earlier testified that Lascañas, and another policeman, a certain SPO4 Sonny Buenaventura, were the two policemen whom Duterte treated like “his own brothers.” Lascañas and Buenaventura are supposed to be the leaders of the death squad and would take “orders” from Duterte whenever the former mayor requests a person to be killed.
Lascañas claimed he was part of the Heinous Crime Section from 2001 until it was dissolved in 2010, upon the intervention of former House Speaker Prospero Nograles, but rejected allegation there was ever a DDS.
“Hindi totoo yan at walang Davao Death Squad na sinasabi, (That is not true and there is no Davao death squad as what they said),” Lascañas told senators during the probe.
He also denied having had a hand in the killing of radio commentator Jun Pala and Sali Makdum, an alleged terrorist.
Upon De Lima’s questioning, Lascañas said he became close with Matobato in 1998, during the first creation of the Island Garden City of Samal where the former priest and former mayor Roger Antalan is a friend of his. He admitted referring Matobato to Antalan to be a caretaker or personal assistant.
“Pagkakakilala ko sa kanya, mabuti siyang tao. Ni recommend ko yan kay Roger Antalan. Nung nanalo siya, pagkakaalam ko na-employ siya sa city hall, sa island city of Samal (I knew him to be a good person. So I recommended him to Antalan. When he won as mayor, I learned he (Matobato) was employed at the city hall of the Island City of Samal),” he said contradicting the confessed DDS member he was an employee at the Davao City hall.
Matobato, he said, had helped him out in buying and selling of some properties because besides being a policeman, he worked as a real estate broker as a sideline.
Lascañas said he knew Matobato to be a part of the auxiliary unit of Scout Rangers because he was always wearing fatigue and carried M16 rifle. During his testimony, Matobato told Senate probers the remains of some of the personalities they killed were buried in Samal Island.
WRISTWATCH AS A GIFT
Lascañas also confirmed he gave Matobato a wristwatch bought at SM City Davao, but denied it was a brand new.
“Ang naalala ko. Bumili ako ng relo, yung watch ko binigay ko sa kanya, yung binili kong relo sinuot ko (From what I can remember, I bought a watch, but the watch I wore was the one I gave him, and I wore the new watch),” he said.
But when pressed by De Lima if Matobato, who finished Grade 1, knew he was fooled and given a second-hand watch despite handing to him the receipt, “I don’t know,” eliciting laughter from the crowd.
“Kung may resibo yun, your honor, yun sinuot ko (If there was a receipt, that’s what I wore),” he smirked.
To which De Lima retorted: “So wise po pala kayo?…wise yung ganun, eh.. kunwari bibili ng bago ire-regalo tapos hindi pala?”
“Eh, alangan naman dala-dalawa ang relos na suot ko?” Lascañas replied.
But when Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV asked Lascañas if he can back his claims if he presents the receipt, Lascañas suddenly said he is not sure if he gave Matobato a new watch or not.
Trillanes said the reason he wanted Lascañas to qualify his statements is to test his credibility as a witness. The policeman, however, responded he does not see how his statements over a watch he bought could have any relevance to the probe.
But Trillanes pointed out that the panel has to test his credibility the same way it did to Matobato who was earlier criticized for changing his statements.
When asked by Sen. Panfilo Lacson what Matobato’s possible motive could have been to accuse him, Lascañas said the witness could have been holding a personal grudge against him and did not set aside the possibility “politics” could be the reason he testified against the President.
“I’m sorry, baka mali ako, mahirap po, personal ko na lang po ito. Sa personal ko lang po, baka pulitika. Gusto niya siguro siraan yung Presidente, si Duterte, (I’m sorry I might be wrong, it’s difficult, this is just a personal assessment, I think it has something to do with politics. He must want to destroy the President Duterte),” he said.
Lascañas also said he wondered why Matobato would consider him close to Duterte when two of his brothers were killed by elements of the Davao City Police due to their links to illegal drugs.
“My own brothers, napatay ng mga kasamahan ko sa DCPO. Kung malakas ako kay mayor, bakit hindi ko natulungan sila? Kung hindi ako pulis, mas natulungan ko sila (were killed by my colleagues at the Davao City Police Office. If I was close to the mayor then I could have helped them. If I was not a policeman, I could have helped them better),” he said.
His eldest child who applied for a job before the city government was even rejected and “insulted.”
WE’RE NOT INTO KILLINGS
Retired police Supt. Dionisio Abude, among the 16 Davao active and retired policemen who appeared at the resumption of the Senate probe, also denied the unit ventured into killing personalities.
Abude, former chief of the Heinous Crime Division under the Davao City police, said they were “not into killings” contrary to the testimony of the alleged hitman.
“We are not into killings. But we are there to conduct investigations, follow up cases, do surveillance and other opportunities to implement the warrant of those persons,” Abude said.
During his term from Jan. 15, 2003 to March 8, 2006, Abude said they were able to apprehend 69 suspects within one year, contrary to Matobato’s statement their unit was activated for the summary killings.
He also denied Matobato’s allegation he was present in a meeting where they planned to kidnap Makdum in 2002.
“I deny that because I was not there and I was not yet assigned in that office, your honor,” said Abude who has retired from service since January, 2013.
But De Lima raised Abude’s administrative case in 2012 wherein he was penalized for the “unabated killings” attributed to the Davao death squad.
According to De Lima, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales found Abude guilty of simple neglect of duty, along with 20 other high-ranking officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and were meted the penalty of fine equivalent to one month salary.
Trillanes, however, cast doubts on Abude’s statements and urged Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the committee, to subpoena the records of the Heinous Crimes Division.
But Gordon said a request should be enough and asked Abude to turn over the documents by Tuesday as he intends to finish the probe on drug-related killings by then.
Citing statistics from the PNP, Trillanes pointed out Davao City had the most number of murders committed from 2010 to 2015.
“Sen. Cayetano mentioned that Davao is safer, safer compared to other cities. But based on the statistics from the PNP based on the PSA, Davao has the most number of murder cases from 2010 to 2015 and yet its population is half of Quezon City,” Trillanes said.
“Since naging mayor dun sa Duterte, eh bakit number 1 sa murder at number 2 sa rape so ibig sabihin hindi tama yung approach, (Since Duterte became mayor of that city, then why was murder number 1 and rape number 2 of the most cases in Davao City, so that means there was something wrong in their approach),” he pointed out.