MANILA – Alleged leader of the so-called vigilante group Davao Death Squad (DDS) SPO3 Arthur Lascañas on Monday suggested that “somebody” must be behind attempts to get witness and self-confessed former DDS hitman Edgar Matobato to implicate him in unresolved deaths in Davao City.
Matobato has claimed in a previous Senate hearing that some Davao City police officers from the Heinous Crimes Division took orders from then mayor now President Rodrigo Duterte and his alleged right-hand man, Lascañas.
Lascañas denied the existence of the vigilante group or that he was its alleged leader. He also denied that he was at all close to President Duterte, saying he was rarely seen with him.
“Somebody must be behind him (Matobato),” Lascañas told Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson when asked why he thought Matobato claimed he was behind the extrajudicial killings in Davao City.
He however admitted that he knew Matobato after the latter offered him a property deal back in 1986.
“If my memory is correct, in 1986, Edgar Matobato approached me and tried to sell me property. He said he had a friend from Samal Island who had property which was to be sold,” Lascañas said.
He said that he used to moonlight as a real estate broker.
Senator Leila de Lima, meanwhile, asked Lascañas how close he and Matobato were, to which he acknowledged that Matobato attended his birthday parties.
Lascañas confirmed that he did give Matobato a wristwatch at one point, which was second-hand and not brand-new as Matobato previously claimed.
He however denied that he and other cops were responsible for torturing Matobato after he allegedly decided to leave the vigilante group.
He also denied previous incidents in Davao City stated by Matobato, including the bombing of a mosque, the killing of radio reporter and critic of President Duterte, Jun Pala, and feeding bodyguards of then mayoral candidate Prospero Nograles to crocodiles.
Lacson, after hearing Lascañas’ testimony, reiterated that personally, he did not find Matobato to be a “credible witness”.
Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao for his part questioned how Matobato could get Lascañas’ rank wrong, if they were close, as Matobato claimed.
Matobato earlier said that Lascañas was an SPO4. It was however later confirmed that he was SPO3.
Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV meanwhile made Lascañas admit that Matobato would usually address him as “chief” and therefore concluded that their informal way of talking to each other should also be put into consideration.