Edgar Matobato left the grounds of the Senate after the Senate President rejected the request to place him under the protection.
The witness on the hearing of the Senate who pointed President Rodrigo Duterte’s participation in the Davao Death Squad has left the Senate grounds.
On Thursday evening, Edgar Matobato left the Senate grounds without protection.
After the third Senate hearing on extrajudicial killings being linked to President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, Matobato stayed at the quarters of the Office of Sergeant-at-arms, but left after few hours.
At past 7:30PM, he was seen boarding a car.
This was after Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III rejected the request of Senator Leila de Lima to place him under the protection and custody of the Senate.
During the hearing, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV made the motion for the witness to be placed under Senate protection and custody, but this was denied by the head of the Senate.
Some of the highlights of Matobato’s testimony on the hearing watched and listened to through television and radio coverages include the alleged involvement of President Duterte in the bombings of mosques in Davao City, where he served as the mayor and his son Paolo’s alleged participation in several killings, including that of businessman Richard King.
Trillanes saw him off and he told reporters that he was disappointed after the decision of Pimentel to reject the request of the committee of de Lima.
“Senator Pimentel’s office has just informed us that he has denied the committee’s request for Senate custody of Mr. Edgar Matobato,” Trillanes said.
Pimentel received De Lima’s formal request around 6 p.m.
Although he does not know what will happen next, but Trillanes said that they will protect Matobato after his testimony on the hearing.
“I dont know but I’m disappointed. Anyway hindi namin siya pababayaan,” he added.
A confessed member of the Davao Death Squad, Matobato attended the third Senate probe on the alleged extrajudicial killings for many hours until the hearing was suspended at past 2:00p.m.