Senator Antonio Trillanes during the hearing of Committee on Justice and Human Rights at the Senate in Pasay City on alleged extra judicial killings amid the government campaign against illegal drugs.INQUIRER PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES
SENATOR Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV on Tuesday said a former counsel for confessed hired killer Edgar Matobato when he was still under the government’s witness protection program had asked the latter not to implicate President Rodrigo Duterte and his son Vice Mayor Paolo in vigilante killings in their hometown of Davao City.
In an INQ&A interview, Trillanes said Duterte long knew about Matobato’s testimonies as his camp reached out to the alleged Davao Death Squad member through the lawyer, which the senator did not identify.
“At some point may lawyer na nag-reach out sa kanya, nag-offer to deal na wag nang i-mention si President Duterte at Paolo Duterte. Ayaw ni Matobato, determined siya to expose him (Duterte) all the way,” Trillanes said.
“Itong abogada na ’to [ay lawyer] niya na ’to nung nasa WPP siya. Some people in the Duterte administration were able to get in touch with him and wanted to strike a deal with him… At that point alam na ni President Duterte ‘tong impormasyon na ‘to,” he added.
Trillanes said Matobato cut ties with the lawyer after rejecting the alleged offer to strike a deal with the Duterte camp.
Matobato, who claimed he was a member of the infamous DDS, surfaced before the Senate hearing on extrajudicial killings and linked Duterte and his son to thousands of summary killings in Davao.