Edgar Matobato
Edgar Matobato | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edgar Bernal Matobato 1959 |
| Nationality | Filipino |
| Occupation(s) | Vigilante, Assassin |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Davao Death Squad (formerly Lambada Boys) |
| Years of service | 1988-2013 |
Edgar Bernal Matobato (born 1959) is a self-confessed hitman who claims to be a former member of the Davao Death Squad or the "DDS", an alleged vigilante group tasked to summarily execute suspected criminals.
Senate hearing
[edit]Matobato gained international attention when he appeared before the Philippine Senate on September 15, 2016[1] during a hearing on extrajudicial killings. At the hearing, the 57-year-old assassin narrated his experiences and even revealed names of policemen he worked with in the past. He confessed that he has killed many people, including an alleged terrorist named Sali Makdum. Matobato further recounted that former Davao City Mayor now Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte once emptied an Uzi in killing a certain Hamizola[clarification needed], although the President has denied ties with Matobato and expressed that he doesn't know him.[2]
Matobato says he was among the names listed under Davao city hall's civil security unit (CSU), which watched over markets, schools, and terminals to keep them safe, although he was considered a "ghost employee."[3] From 1988 to 2013, Matobato said hundreds were killed in the 25-year span of his service to Davao's CSU.[citation needed] Senator Alan Peter Cayetano questioned Matobato, pointing out how in his testimonies, he changed his stance from "pretending to have personal knowledge" to "hearsay."[citation needed]
Arrest
[edit]On October 7, 2016, Edgar Matobato was turned over by Senator Antonio Trillanes to the Philippine National Police after an arrest warrant was issued to him.[4]
ICC Case
[edit]On April 24, 2017, Matobato's lawyer Jude Sabio filed a 77-page complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Duterte and his subordinates titled “The Situation of Mass Murder in the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte: The Mass Murderer” to its Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. Aside from President Duterte, the complaint included Senators Richard Gordon and Alan Peter Cayetano, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno, PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa, Police Colonels Edilberto Leonardo, Royina Garma, and Sanson Buenaventura, NBI Director Dante A. Gierran, and Solicitor General Jose Calida.[5]
On January 14, 2020, Sabio accompanied by Atty. Larry Gadon announced that he was withdrawing his complaint at the ICC. Sabio would claim that he withdrew as he do not wish to be a part of the politics of Senators Antonio Trillanes IV, Leila De Lima, Cong. Gary Alejano, as well as the Liberal Party against President Duterte. The ICC Projecutor Fatou Bensouda responded that Sabio's withdrawal would not affect the case, since there were 57 other communications to the ICC against Duterte.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ INQUIRER.net (16 September 2016). "IN THE KNOW: Edgar Matobato".
- ^ Corrales, Nestor (23 September 2016). "Duterte on Matobato: I don't know him".
- ^ "Edgar Matobato: Liar or truth-teller?". 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Trillanes: PNP custody of Matobato 'temporary'".
- ^ Romero, Paolo (25 April 2017). "Matobato lawyer files case vs Rody before ICC". Philstar.com. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ Buan, Lian (14 January 2020). "Sabio 'drops' ICC communication vs Duterte, but does it matter?". Rappler. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
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