‘Senate unlikely to hear Trillanes’ new death squad witness’

MANILA, Philippines -  Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said that it is highly unlikely that the new witnesses that Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV wants to present on the issue of the Davao death squad (DDS) would be heard by the Senate.

After hearing the testimony of self-confessed DDS member, retired Senior Police Officer 3 Arthur Lascañas during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs last Monday, Pimentel said that many senators were unconvinced of his claims regarding the alleged killings ordered by President Duterte when he was still mayor of Davao City.

In an earlier interview, Pimentel said that he could not blame his colleagues if they got “bored” with the testimony of Lascañas considering that they have heard most of this before when he held a press conference at the Senate and when fellow self-confessed DDS member Edgar Matobato testified about the same issue last year.

Interviewed over dwIZ yesterday, Pimentel said that he does not see how Trillanes or any other personality would be able to convince the senators to hear any other witnesses on the same subject matter.

“If the main actor was heard and they were left uninterested, what more the supporting actors or bit players? They will find it hard to convince not only the chairman, but also the members of the committee,” Pimentel said.

Even if the matter is put to a vote in plenary, Pimentel aired his doubts about this would be supported by majority of the senators.

After just one hearing, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the chairman of the Public Order and Dangerous Drugs committee, has adjourned the inquiry into the DDS issue upon the motion of Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III.

Trillanes has stated that he has more witnesses to present and will ask for the committee to consider reopening the inquiry.

Lascañas has stated that four of his former colleagues in the DDS have signified their intention to tell all just like he and Matobato have done in the Senate.

Members of the Senate minority have also aired their support to the continuation of the hearings, if only to complete the picture.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan said that he would support the continuation of the hearings if there are new witnesses who could corroborate the claims made by Lascañas.

Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV said that the people mentioned by Lascañas during last Monday’s hearing should be allowed to respond in the succeeding hearings.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros said that the Senate should hear what the new witnesses have to say.

Meanwhile, the camp of Matobato would ask a court in Digos City, Davao del Sur to reduce his bail into half since he would use the money for his surgery to cure an injury from alleged torture.

Matobato’s lawyer Jude Sabio explained that his client needs money for surgery of his injured rectum.

Matobato was tortured on June 19, 2014, and his alleged torturers inserted the barrel of an M-16 rifle in his rectum, Sabio said. 

Matobato through Sabio has posted P200,000 bail before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 48 on Thursday.

Sabio refused to discuss further the torture that Matobato suffered.

The said injury caused a blood vessel on his rectum to break, he added.

He said that some people who expressed support for Matobato donated part of the money for bail.

Sabio said he has petitioned for the bail to be reduced to half so they could claim it again and use it for Matobato’s surgery.

The Digos City Regional Trial Court Branch 19 ordered the arrest of Matobato, lawyer Norberto Sinsona and “John Does” after a frustrated murder complaint was filed by Abeto Salcedo Jr., retired adjudicator of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Salcedo alleged that Matobato tried to kill him in October 2014.             – With Ghio Ong