(Eagle News) – Two police officials, who had been earlier named by witness Edgar Matobato as being involved in the alleged Davao Death Squad, denied all his allegations claiming that Matobato was a “liar” pointing to specific inconsistencies in the latter’s statements.
In the continuation of the Senate hearing on extrajudicial killings, the former head of the Davao Ctiy police’s heinous crime division, retired Supt. Dionisio Abude, and SPO3 Arthur Lascanas who was assigned at the same division, testified to clear their names and to point to Matabato as a liar.
The first to testify on Monday (October 3) at the Senate was Abude who denied that he was ever present in 2002 at the Davao’s heinous crimes division.
Abude said that in 2002, he was still with the drug enforcement unit, denying Matobato’s earlier statement that he was present in a meeting supposedly held in the office of the heinous crime division to plan the kidnapping and killing of suspected international terrorist Sali Makdum.
“I deny that, your honor, because I was not there and I was not yet assigned in that office,” Abude told the Senate.
Abude said he was only assigned as chief of the heinous crimes division in January 2003 and headed the unit until March 2006.
He also denied that the unit was used just to kill people, as what Matobato had said. He, in fact, brought news clippings of the division’s accomplishments, including one where their people tried to save the life of a drug suspect who tried to kill himself.
Asked if where he was at that time in 2002, he said he was at the building of the drug enforcement unit, which was far from the building of the heinous crimes division.
He said it was “impossible” for him to be at the heinous crimes division building as cited by Matobato.
Abude said that he does not know Matobato personally.
The second police witness to testify was SPO3 Arthur Lascanas who angrily denied the allegations of Matobato at the Senate on Monday.
Lascanas denied that he was involved in the killings of Makdum, businessman Richard King, and others as claimed by Matobato.
He said he did not receive any orders from then Mayor Duterte, and that they would only get to see the mayor if the police would present accomplishment reports.
Lascanas described Matobato as a liar (sinungaling) when questioned by Senator De Lima if he was indeed close to then Mayor Duterte.
But De Lima said this was just Lascanas’ opinion.
In questioning later by the other senators, Lascanas tried to prove his allegation that he was not close or “malakas” to Mayor Duterte.
He cited the death of his two brothers, who had been linked to drugs, in the hands of members of the Davao City police.
“Kung malakas ako kay Mayor, sana natulungan ko sila” Lascanas said. (Eagle News Service)
