Panelo on Lascañas’ claims vs. Duterte: Hearsay unless corroborated

Chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo on Monday poked holes at retired SPO3 Arthur Lascañas' statement supposedly confirming the existence of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) and implicating President Rodrigo Duterte in extrajudicial killings in Davao City.

Interviewed by reporters in Malacañang, Panelo said it is unlikely for Duterte, a lawyer, to give direct orders to a hitman like Lascañas, who claimed he was hired and paid by Duterte through SPO4 Sonny Buenaventura to assassinate radio broadcaster Jun Pala.

"It's a continuing fabrication of stories against alleged responsibility of the President on extrajudicial killings," Panelo said of Lascañas' accusation. "Like [self-confessed hitman Edgar] Matobato, this (Lascañas) is also giving another false narration."

"If you will notice, he (Lascañas) was saying that three million was given to him by a Sonny Buenaventura, which means he has no direct links with the President, which means he has not talked with the President, which means he has not received anything from the President. So it's hearsay," he added.

"He has no direct communication with the President. In other words, false lahat ng alegasyon niya," Panelo further said.

Panelo also stressed that Duterte as a lawyer would know that it would be unwise to speak with hitmen directly if he wanted someone killed. He said this after it was pointed out that Lascañas claimed that Duterte spoke with him after he failed to kill Pala twice.

"Alam mo, unang-una, the President is a lawyer. Lawyers don’t do that. Hindi magagawa ng abugado iyan na kung may gagawin kang kalokahan, sasabihin mo ng direkta doon sa pinapagawan mo. So it's an incredible story. Hindi kapani-paniwala. Walang kredibilidad iyon," he said.

While preparing for his presidency, Duterte in a press conference in May 2016 said Pala "deserved" death allegedly for being "rotten."

"I don't want to demean his memory but he was a rotten son of a bitch. He deserved it," Duterte said then. "Of course I know who killed him. Kasi binastos niya 'yung tao."

Panelo added that Lascañas’ statement would only have more weight if another person would corroborate his claims.

"Kung may testigo siyang iba na, 'Narinig kong sinabi nga ni Presidente iyan sa harap niya. I was there.' Iyon, medyo magkakaroon siya ng kredibilidad," he said. —KBK, GMA News