Retired Police officer SPO3 Arturo Lascanas. EDWIN BACASMAS/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Senator JV Ejercito on Tuesday said that the testimony of self-confessed hitman, Davao Death Squad (DDS) Leader Arturo Lascañas in the Senate was only for personal gain.
“Nagkaroon na ako ng duda kasi (I had my doubts because), why would Lascañas say that he is loyal to Digong Duterte as mayor for the past 25, 30 years? Then all of a sudden, when he retired, a few months after that’s when he turned his back against the president, now that he is the president,” Ejercito said in an interview with INQ&A.
“I was thinking, something… probably he was expecting something that was not given to him,” he added.
Retired SPO3 Lascañas claimed that Davao Death Squad is real, and that President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the killings of criminals in Davao City when he was still its mayor.
READ: Davao cop says Duterte ordered killings, DDS real
Ejercito then cited that he did his investigation and found out that Lascañas is a part of what he called the “Davao group,” which is composed by other policemen and barangay (village) captains.
“They applied for franchise of STL (small-town lottery), I found out they were targeting juicy areas—Cavite, Laguna and Bulacan. In fact, he was the one who told us, he didn’t deny that he even had the chance to meet with PCSO Chairman George Corpus, but he turned him down,” the senator said.
Lascañas was also trying to get into Customs after retirement in order to get a stable job, and wanted to establish a transport terminal in Davao, but both were also turned down.
“In fact he even said yesterday that he was even able to meet with DOTr Sec. Tugade, kumbaga, puro high level kausap niya (meaning, he was engaged in talks with high-profile personalities), but again, he was turned down,” Ejercito said.
“Last but that not the least, he wanted a long coastal road project in Davao, Toril, which is around 50 kilometers, that group also wanted other quarry contract for that particular project and again, it didn’t materialize,” he added.
Ejercito pointed out that Lascañas’ action of turning his back to the president was because of “expectations that were not met.”
The senator also said that there are inconsistencies in the testimony of Lascañas, now that he renounced his earlier statements.
READ: Senators doubt credibility of Lascañas
“Once you show up, the credibility of the person suffers already, you already testified other oath then here we go again saying that whatever you said before were lies, your credibility was already in question,” the senator said.
He expressed strong support to the President, saying that these allegations were already heard when he ran for the post, yet, the people still voted for him. IDL
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