Palace says it has no connection with ex-DDS hitman Edgar Matobato

Lucas Bersamin —HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday declined to comment on the reports involving the departure of confessed killer and member of Davao Death Squad (DDS) Edgar Matobato from the country, stressing that the Palace has no ties to him.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin made the pronouncement after Matobato—the same person who linked former president Rodrigo Duterte to the DDS—made headlines after he allegedly left the country with his wife and two stepchildren.

READ: IN THE KNOW: Edgar Matobato

“Wala kaming masabi d’yan dahil we have no connection with Mr. Matobato. Whatever his purpose in going out, we cannot control that,” Executive Secretary Bersamin told the Malacañang Press Corps.

(We can’t say anything about that because we have no connection with Mr. Matobato. Whatever his purpose in going out, we cannot control that.)

Bersamin then clarified that Malacañang has no control of Matobato if he intends to testify against the drug war of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“Hindi namin siya ini-encourage, hindi rin dini-discourage,” he said.

(We did not encourage nor discourage him.)

Matobato previously claimed that he killed about 50 people as a member of the DDS, before withdrawing from the group in September 2013.

However, the former hitman said he was first tortured for a week until he escaped and hid in the provinces of Cebu, Samar, and Leyte.

READ: PNoy once saved ex-DDS Matobato’s life, says Trillanes

Matobato later surrendered to a regional office of the Commission on Human Rights in 2014 but opted to instead go to Manila and apply for the witness protection program of the Department of Justice on Sept. 1, 2014, after the former told him that it could not protect him.