2 Davao cops Matobato linked to extrajudicial slays deny accusation

Two Davao City policemen tagged by confessed hitman Edgar Matobato to extrajudicial killings in the city during the term of Rodrigo Duterte as mayor have denied his accusation, a report by GMA News' Saleema Refran on "24 Oras" said Friday.

Though Supt. Antonio Rivera and C/Insp. Ronald Lao chose not to face the media, their superior, Davao City Police chief Sr. Supt. Michael John Dubria, said both denied participating in operations with Matobato.

"Ang sabi naman nila is the statements of Matobato... were not true, actually, because Matobato was never a member of a government unit especially PAOCTF and Davao City Police Office," Dubria said.

Facing a Senate investigation on the extrajudicial killings being linked to the Duterte administration's war on illegal drugs on Thursday, Matobato said some of the killings in Davao City were carried out by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force or PAOCTF.

Matobato, who claimed participation in the killings, identified the Laud Quarry as the place where they staged some of the killings and bury the bodies.

GMA News visited the site and found it fenced and choked with thick foliage, and is no longer owned by former policeman Bienvenido Laud.

The quarry was the subject of an investigation by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in 2009 under then-Commissioner Leila de Lima, now a senator leading the investigation on the drug-related killings.

"The Commission on Human Rights under Secretary De Lima conducted diggings and investigation and wala naman pong nakitang concrete na mga evidence sa areas na 'yun," Dubria said.

But in an interview with De Lima in July 2009, she said they found human bones in the area, the "24 Oras" report said.

Matobato, in his testimony in the Senate, also claimed they dumped four bodies—an alleged fixer at the Land Transportation Office and three female drug pushers—in a vacant lot in San Rafael village.

Brgy. Chairman Roderico Illubit said bodies of three women were found in the area between 2007 and 2008, but he was not sure if they were the suspected drug pushers mentioned by Matobato in the Senate.

Meanwhile, SPO3 Arturo Lascañas of Bunawan Police Station whom Matobato said gave him orders to kill is now on non-duty status prior to his retirement, the report said.

His station commander, C/Insp. Jesus Castañeda, explained, "Nag-file siya ng non-duty status niya. Hindi na po siya magdu-duty. Yun po yung privelege ng isang pulis na magre-retire." —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News