Senator De Lima issued a statement on the 2009 DDS probe conducted by the CHR.
SENATOR – In a handwritten statement, detained Sen. Leila De Lima defended the Commission on Human Rights regarding the probe on the alleged Davao Death Squad conducted on 2009.
Recently, a news report entailing the statement of Sen. De Lima regarding the quest of the people on the 2009 DDS probe broke in.
Based on a recent report on GMA News Online, the lady Senator expressed in a handwritten statement that there were no people like Edgar Matobato and SPO3 Arthur Lascañas back then.
Edgar Matobato is the self-confessed member of the alleged Davao Death Squad while the retired Davao City police officer, SPO3 Lascañas, is the self-confessed DDS leader who has recently pinned down Pres. Duterte in a media briefing and a Senate hearing.
“People ask — How come nothing concrete came out from the 2009 CHR probe re: DDS in terms of exacting accountability from then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte? The simple answer is — there were no Matobatos and Lascañas back then,” the lady Senator stated in her statement.
Based on the news report, Sen. De Lima also expressed in her statement that the Davao City was “then, and perhaps still is, under the spell of their ruthless king.”
The Senator also stated that the investigators during the time that the probe was conducted were treated as “enemies” and “intruders”.
According to the news report, Sen. De Lima posted a question in her handwritten statement: “Is the entire country, even after hearing the harrowing testimonies of Matobato and Lascañas, be just like Davao City?”
Sen. De Lima is one of the most vocal critics of Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte who is now faced with allegations of killings done during his term as the Davao City Mayor.
The lady Senator is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame after a Muntinlupa Court has issued warrants of arrest against her, her former lover, driver and bodyguard Ronnie Dayan, and Rafael Ragos.
Meanwhile, Pres. Duterte now is faced with allegations of killings after Matobato and SPO3 Lascañas testified against the Chief Executive.
Reportedly, the retired Davao City police officer claimed that the then-Mayor of Davao City has ordered them to kill and that they were paid by him.
Based on a previous news report, SPO3 Lascañas gave a message to Pres. Duterte telling him that there is a God. The retired cop expressed that he is satisfied for doing a public confession and he knows that he can’t escape the human law.