(Eagle News)– Military officials found no ‘Edgar Matobato’ listed in their records as a regular personnel or a Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) member in the Philippine Army.
Col. Edgard Arevalo, the chief of AFP’s Public Affairs Office (PAO) on Friday confirmed this with information from Col. Benjamin Hao, the Army spokesman, who checked the records.
“I have consulted Col. Benjamin Hao, chief ng Army PAO, and based from their records, of the Philippine Army, there is no Edgar Matobato in their records, whether as regular army personnel or has been an army personnel or a member of a CAFGU,” Arevalo said.
The Army conducted its own probe regarding Matobato since he proclaimed himself not only as a member of the Davao Death Squad (DDS), but also of CAFGU.
Arevalo also added that there was no “Sali Makdum” in the government’s terrorist list, whom Matobato mentioned as one of the thousands they killed.
Matobato claimed that they brought Makdum to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) office in 2002 before killing him and buried him at the Laud quarry.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief and PAOCTF head, questioned Matobato’s claim since PAOCTF has been abolished in 2001.
“Wala nang PAOCTF noong 2002 kasi ako’y senador na nung 2001 at nawala na yung PAOCTF,” Lacson said.
As for Arevalo, he stressed that Matobato’s allegations should be backed up by evidence before being released.
“Kung meron siyang ganong alegasyon, definitely hindi yun natin dapat basta paniniwalaan so allow him to prove his allegation, to come up with evidence, basis.”