Robredo: Claims of Duterte ties with DDS ‘can no longer be brushed aside’

Allegations of President Rodrigo Duterte’s involvement in the infamous Davao Death Squad “can no longer be brushed aside by mere denials,” Vice President Leni Robredo said Thursday.

Robredo issued the statement days after retired SPO3 Arturo Lascañas retracted his testimony last year, now affirming the existence of the vigilante group, as well as his and the President’s involvement in it.

According to Lascañas, Duterte, then Davao City mayor, paid up to P100,000 for each target he wanted killed.

The Vice President said the fact that the retired policeman’s statement corroborated those of self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato “is a matter of great alarm and concern.”

“The imputation of such monstrous crimes to the President is unprecedented in its gravity, and can no longer be brushed aside by mere denials,” she said.

“[T]he fact that both witnesses have come forward to accuse the most powerful man in the country, possibly at great risk to themselves, requires that their claims be taken seriously and be given careful consideration,” she added.

Robredo also said “accusations of bribery to media and ouster plots can no longer work,” an apparent reference to the allegation made by Communications Sec. Martin Andanar that Senate reporters were offered $1,000 to cover Lascañas’ press conference last Monday. 

The Vice President reiterated her support for the reopening of the Senate investigation on extrajudicial killings, in order to look into the ex-policeman’s new statement. 

She said that a “thorough, independent, and credible” inquiry “must be promptly pursued, with the full support and cooperation of the President and his administration.”

“We urge the public to remain vigilant in the face of these alarming developments. We must unequivocally demonstrate that we are still a nation governed by the rule of law and that we will exhaust all efforts to arrive at the truth,” she added.

Robredo earlier said the Senate inquiry will be an avenue to vet Lascañas’ confession, where the public and lawmakers will be able to observe “not just his demeanor,” but the weight of his statements.

The Vice President, however, said it would be too early to judge now if the ex-police officer’s statements may be used as a ground to impeach Duterte. — MDM, GMA News