Using a caliber-22 with a silencer, police in Davao City, supposedly upon orders of then Davao City Mayor and now President Rodrigo Duterte, allegedly massacred a family, including a pregnant wife and a four-year-old son.
This was how former SPO3 Arturo Lascañas narrated on Monday how a 20-year-old kidnapping of a certain Mrs. Abaca had resulted in the deaths of the alleged “mastermind,” whom he identified as a certain Mr. Patahasa, and his 7-month-old pregnant wife, four-year-old son, 70-year-old plus father-in-law and two helpers.
Lascañas said he was part of a team that was ordered by then Mayor Duterte to conduct an investigation on the kidnapping.
He said a certain Inspector Patayan had informed the team that Patahasa was behind the abduction.
Citing information from Patayan, Lascañas said they were able to get the suspect while onboard a vehicle with his entire family.
“Kinuha namin si Mr. Patahasa, ako ang nag-drive ng kanyang sasakyan. Nilipat namin ang kanyang Mrs. sa likod ng kanyang sasakayan…” the former Davao cop said in a press conference at the Senate.
After exiting General Santos City, Lascañas said he stopped the car and transferred Patahasa and his family to their van and brought them to a house in the Laud quarry.
He said he and SPO4 Floribel went to Davao City to report to Duterte his initial findings on the abduction and case and also explained why they got the entire family of the suspect.
It was during that meeting that he said Floribel suggested to just kill the entire family.
“Dito po nagbigay ng go signal si Mayor Rody Duterte,” Lascañas said, adding that in local dialect, Duterte also told the police to make sure it was a clean operation.
He said they returned to the quarry and after a while, Florebel reiterated Duterte’s order to kill the family. But he said he and another cop protested and insisted to just terminate the target, and not the entire family.
“At dahil sa pag insist ko po at walang sumuporta, hiningi ko na lang ang bata na lalaki na dalhin ko sa Butuan City at doon iwanan ko sa isang bus terminal…” Lascañas said.
“Pero isa sa grupo namin nag comment na paglaki ng batang yan, makikila pa rin nya ang mukha namin at kami hindi na namin sya makikilala at ito ang gagawa ng pagganti dahil inubos natin ang buong pamilya nya,” he said.
But since no one backed his suggestions, Lascañas said the entire family of the suspect was killed in front of him.
“Napatay po ang buong pamilya sa harap ko, using a caliber 22 with a silencer. And the rest is history,” he added. RAM/rga