Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday denied that the Liberal Party sent Edgar Matobato, a confessed hitman and member of the alleged Davao Death Squad (DDS), to testify before the Senate during the inquiry on the spate of extrajudicial killings on Thursday and destroy President Duterte’s reputation.
“Unang-una hindi naman kami nag-uusap-usap. Hindi ko nga alam na may lalabas na witness, hindi ko naman kilala ang witness na iyon. Hindi naman ako kasali sa pagplano na ilalabas iyon,” Robredo said at a press briefing at the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) office in Makati City Friday.
(First of all, we have not been in discussion. I didn’t even know that a witness would be presented, I don’t know who that witness was. I’m not part of the plan to expose that.)
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Robredo stressed that since the general elections concluded in May, the former ruling party has not convened to discuss its position under a Duterte administration, except the LP members at the House of Representatives, most of whom joined the “supermajority.”
“Ang Liberal Party since the elections hindi pa nagmi-meet as a party. Ang natatandaan ko na several times nag-meet ‘yong mga LP members sa House, ‘nong nagdedecide kung magma-majority o minority,” she said.
“Iyon lang ang instances na nag-meeet as a party pero never pa kami nag-meet to discuss the present administration, walang ganoon,” Robredo added.
(The Liberal Party has not met as a party since the elections. I only remember the last time the LP members met several times at the House was when the members were deciding whether to join the majority or the minority.)
The Vice President said Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s allegations were “unfair and offensive.”
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Allies of Duterte, including Cayetano, accused the LP of putting its “Plan B” into motion, accusing the Senate committee on justice and human rights of bringing out witness Edgar Matobato to damage Duterte’s reputation by linking him to the notorious alleged death squad in Davao City.
Senator Leila de Lima, chair of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, is Robredo’s fellow LP member. CDG/rga