Matobato, Lascañas may be considered insider witnesses in Duterte trial, says ICC assistant to counsel

Two alleged members of the infamous Davao Death Squad can testify against former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is now facing charges for crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague. 

According to Maki Pulido’s report in “24 Oras” on Tuesday, ICC Assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti said testimonies from Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascañas will be relevant in linking Duterte to the Davao Death Squad (DDS). 

“Tanging mga nasa loob lang ng organisasyon ang pwedeng makapagsabi kung ano itsura ng Davao Death Squad. Parehong sina Matobato at Lascañas maituturing na insider witness,” said Conti. 

(Only those within the organization who can give us a picture of the Davao Death Squad. Both Matobato and Lascañas are considered as insider witnesses.) 

The warrant of arrest issued by the ICC stated Duterte’s role as founder and leader of the DDS - a group that was notorious for killing criminals in Davao City where Duterte served as mayor for 22 years.

Hitman

Matobato, a self-confessed hitman, shared in a Senate hearing in 2016 the killings he committed from 1998 to 2013. 

“Ang trabaho namin, ma’am, ay pumapatay ng mga kriminal katulad ng drug pusher, rapist, snatcher. Ganyan ang pinapatay namin araw-araw,” he said. 

(Our job, ma’am, was to kill criminals such as drug pushers, rapists, snatchers, among others. Those were the kinds of people we killed on a daily basis.) 

He also said that he was one of the first members of the group, when it was originally called the “Lambada Boys”. 

Matobato also alleged that Duterte, who was then Davao City mayor, ordered the slayings of different individuals, which included radio broadcaster Jun Pala. 

He claimed in the said hearing that they nabbed an alleged kidnapper in Sarangani and fed him to a crocodile. 

DDS leader

Meanwhile, former Davao City policeman Lascañas was said to be the leader of the DDS. 

Lascañas initially denied the testimonies of Matobato out of fear, but he later admitted that Duterte ordered the DDS to kill criminals. 

He said that one of his first missions was the murder of alleged drug lord Alan Cancio. 

Lascañas added that they were rewarded with P100,000 for every person they eliminated. 

“Sa lahat po ng ginagawa naming pagpatay sa Davao City – ilibing man o itapon namin sa laot – ito po ay binabayaran kami ni Mayor Rody Duterte kadalasan P20,000, minsan P50,000 at depende po sa status ng target, minsan P100,000,” he said. 

(Whether we buried or dumped the body into the sea, Mayor Rody Duterte will surely pay us for each person. Sometimes he will pay us P20,000 or P50,000, and depending on the status of our target, the payment can reach P100,000.) 

Duterte, on the other hand, initially denied the allegations made by Matobato and Lascañas. But in a 2024 Senate hearing last year he admitted his connection to the DDS. 

“I can make the confession now if you want. Talagang niyayari ko. Meron akong death squad, pito, pero hindi mga pulis, mga gangster. Yung isang gangster utusan ko, ‘Patayin mo yan dahil kung hindi mo patayin,  patayin kita ngayon’,” he said before lawmakers. 

(I can make the confession now if you want. I really take them out. I had a death squad composed of seven, but these were not cops, they were gangsters. I will order a gangster to kill that person or else I will kill him immediately.) 

According to a New York Times report in 2017, Lascañas was already under the ICC’s custody after he was granted a limited immunity deal. 

In another report by the New York Times, Matobato already flew out of the Philippines last January using a different identity through the help of a private organization. 

Conti said Matobato is now under the custody of the ICC’s Victims and Witnesses, a unit that provides protection to witnesses. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News