Paolo Duterte says accusation linking him to billionaire's slay 'mere hearsay'

Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte on Thursday branded as "mere hearsay" the accusations hurled against him by Edgar Matobato, who claimed during a Senate hearing to be a member of the Davao Death Squad.

Through the Chief Information Officer of Davao City, the vice mayor said, "What [Senator Leila] de Lima and this certain Matobato say in public are bare allegations in the absence of proof. They are mere hearsay.  I will not dignify with an answer the accusations of a madman."

De Lima chairs the Senate committee on justice and human rights, which was investigating the extrajudicial killings being linked to President Rodrigo Duterte's war on illegal drugs. 

UPDATE: Si Edgar Matobato ay miyembro ng diumano'y binuong "Lambada Boys" na pumapaslang ng mga kriminal sa Davao. pic.twitter.com/p0f4sTFiuG

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) September 15, 2016

    In Thursday's hearing, Matobato placed on the vice mayor the blame for the death of billionaire hotelier Richard King in 2014    .

Matobato alleged that Vice Mayor Duterte, son of the President, ordered the killing of King because of their rivalry over a woman.

Matobato claimed that two rebel returnees  — Joel Tapales and Loloi Gabas — allegedly received P500,000 to kill King. The two gunmen were also later killed, he said. —Veronica Pulumbarit/KBK, GMA News