Pimentel ‘evicts’ witness Matobato – Trillanes

Edgar Matobato, self-confessed member of the Davao Death Squad, takes his oath before the Senate committee on justice and human rights, prior to testifying Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. RICHARD REYES / PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
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Update

CONFESSED hitman Edgar Matobato was “evicted” from the Senate after Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III denied the committee on justice and human rights’ request to place him under protective custody, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said Thursday night.

“He was ordered evicted,” Trillanes said when asked of Matobato’s protective status.

“Hindi namin siya pababayaan (We will look after him),” he said.
During a five-hour committee hearing on the spate of drug deaths under the administration’s war on drugs, Trillanes had requested the Senate to provide a “sanctuary” for Matobato within Senate grounds, as his life is under threat given the gravity of his allegations against the President.

His office later told reporters that the Senate President rejected the request. Pimentel was not at the hearing on Thursday.

“Sen. Pimentel’s office has just informed us that he has denied the committee’s request for Senate custody of Mr. Edgar Matobato,” read Trillanes’ statement sent out by his staff.

With the update, the office of committee chair Sen. Leila de Lima swiftly sent a letter to Pimentel’s office formally making the request.

“To deprive our witness the benefit of the Senate’s protective custody can only mean the denial of our only chance and opportunity to get to the bottom of all the extra-judicial killings in a legal manner, instead of providing justification for any adventurist impulse provoked among our more aggressive countrymen by the nature of the witness’ testimony,” De Lima in her letter, which reached Pimentel’s office at 6:17 p.m.

“Needless to say, based on the nature of the information that Mr. Matobato presented during the hearing, the committee is of the belief that there is a serious threat to his life pending the completion of his testimony,” she said.

Sought for comment, Pimentel said there was no Senate rule that could justify giving Matobato the chamber’s protective custody.

“I intend to run the Senate based on Rules. I’ve denied the request for protective custody of the witness motabato because there is no Senate rule to justify it,” he told the Inquirer on Thursday evening.

He said the confessed hitman’s testimony had nothing to do with the original intent of the inquiry, which is to investigate the spate of drug-related killings under the administration’s war on the illicit trade.

“There’s even no showing that his life or safety is threatened. Worse, the witness’ testimony is not even relevant to the resolution being investigated,” he said.

In his testimony, Matobato tagged Mr. Duterte, his eldest son Davao City Mayor Paolo Duterte, and several police and local officials in the Davao Death Squad, saying they had ordered or participated in the killing of more than 1,000 people from 1988 to 2013.