Senators grill self-confessed assassin
Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed assassin of the Davao Death Squad (DDS) who accused President Rodrigo Duterte of ordering the killings over 1,000 people during the latter's stint as mayor of Davao City, was intensely grilled at the resumption of a Senate inquiry on extrajudicial killings on Thursday.
Lawmakers belonging to the Senate majority pounced on several inconsistencies of Matobato's statements he made during the previous hearing of the committee on extrajudicial killings and human rights.
Conducting most of the cross examination was Senator Allan Peter Cayetano, an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, who cited some of Matobato's statements before the Senate does not jive with what is stated in his 15-page sworn statement he executed before the National Bureau of Investigation sometime in 2015.
He was under the WPP from November 2014. He claimed to have left the protection program on May 4, 2016 after he realized Duterte won the presidency.
It was revealed Matobato was being evaluated by the NBI if he should remain in the witness protection program of the justice department.
Cayetano pointed out Matobato insisted he never executed an affidavit about the DDS before appearing before the Senate. However, NBI officials in Thursday's hearing produced a copy of his 2014 sworn statement
The document was presented by Joel Tovera, then head of the NBIU's Death Investigation Division and now chief of the agency's anti-illegal drugs division.
Prior to the disclosure of his affidavit, Cayetano was able to force Matobato to admit he has no direct knowledge if Duterte ordered the execution of Sali Macdum, supposedly in 2002.
Matobato named Macdum, who he said was a suspected terrorist, as among the people killed upon the orders of Duterte. A news report which Cayetano showed before the committee revealed Matobato is related to Macdum as their wives are cousins.
Macdum's relatives said in the TV interview the reason behind Macdum's death is a land dispute.
Upon prodding by Cayetano, Matobato admitted he never heard Duterte ordered Macdum's execution but through the then mayor's aide, Senior Police Officer 4 Arthur Lascanas. "I don't know who gave the order," he said.
He told lawmakers he knew Macdum for three months and he was informed by policemen that Macdum is a terrorist.
But in his affidavit, he mentioned Macdum is a Pakistani who entered the country through the backdoor from Malaysia and that he is the prime suspect in a bombing incident in General Santos City.
Matobato also changed his tune when it came to the alleged killing of a certain Jamisola, allegedly an NBI agent whom he claimed Duterte finished off by emptying to firearm’s magazines.
In his first statement, he claimed they were about 30 of them who fought Jamisola. Cayetano wondered how the NBI agent survived the assault by hiding below a pick-up truck.
When asked if there were really 30, Matobato recanted and said he is no longer certain. "There are many of us."
Senator Richard Gordon, new chair of the justice committee, pointed out Matobato's claim he is a member of the Citizen Armed Geographical Unit (Cafgu) but upon verification by the Senate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, revealed he was never part of the government militia during the 1980s.
Matobato said he belonged to the Civilian Home Defense Force in 1982 and was only a Cafgu by 1988. A visibly-irked Gordon warned Matobato they can verify if he was a part of the CHDF.
"Do not think you can easily get away. I will hold you in contempt," a fuming Gordon told Matobato.
There was a contradiction in his educational attainment where he stated previously he only reached elementary grade one but in his affidavit, he said he reached grade 3.
Senator Leila De Lima, a known Duterte critic, appealed to her colleagues to give Matobato some leeway, reasoning the Senate hearing is not similar to a court trial.
Gordon argued credibility of witnesses coming to the Senate should be tested. Emmanuel Tupas
