(Eagle News) — Senator Alan Cayetano poked holes in SP03 Arthur Lascañas’ testimony during Monday’s Senate inquiry into the so-called Davao Death Squad killings, saying there were parts there that differed from the contents of an affidavit he earlier submitted.
Cayetano particularly cited what Lascañas said in his written statement that he was a founding member of an organized anticrime task force, which he said was created in 1988 to go after and “liquidate” criminals in Davao City.
“Sasabihin mo (in the affidavit) na founding member ka (of the task force), e (based on your testimony), 1989 pa kayo nakabalik ng serbisyo (in the Philippine National Police),” he said.
Lascañas later admitted that he only “assumed” in his affidavit that the task force resorted to killing criminals the year it was created.
He claimed this was because the year he became a member of that task force, in 1989, he and his colleagues resorted to such tactics.
“Pag-enter ko sa unit, sinasalvage na namin ang mag bumabalik balik sa kulungan...(That was) my assumption (that as soon as the task force was created, they resorted to the same tactics),” he said.