Cops tagged in DDS to face Matobato

POLICEMEN identified as members of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) by hit man Edgar Matobato will get a chance to repudiate his claims today at the resumption of the Senate justice and human rights committee hearing on the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJK) in the government’s war on illegal drugs.

The committee headed by Sen. Richard Gordon will hold two more hearings tomorrow and Wednesday.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who heads the public order and dangerous drugs committee and cochairs the EJK hearings, yesterday said Gordon did not tell the senators why he would be holding three consecutive hearings although he believes his colleague wants to conclude the inquiry soon.

Gordon, who replaced Sen. Leila de Lima as committee chair after majority of the senators voted to oust her and form a new committee, said last week he would hold two hearings and possibly a third one, if necessary.

In a radio interview, Lacson said he would repeat his motion to ask the 23 policemen named by Matobato whether they want a public hearing or an executive session as De Lima and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV want Matobato to confront the lawmen and he did not want them to be subjected to ridicule. Still, he said, the two committees will decide this matter.

Case dismissed

Lacson said he expected Matobato to be able to identify the policemen since he had filed a complaint with the Department of Justice against some of them in 2014 for torture. The case was dismissed on June 30 this year.

He said the hearings should focus on the recent EJKs as this was the prime objective of the inquiry.

He said he agreed to have the committees investigate the alleged EJKs committed in Davao City when President Duterte was mayor just to see if there was indeed a similar pattern in today’s killings.

But Lacson said he had yet to see whether the recent killings of drug suspects had the blessings of the administration.