Duterte behind summary killings in PH, Trillanes insists

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV insisted on Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte was behind the alleged extrajudicial killings in the country, otherwise, he said the President would have ordered the police to end them.

“Ako po ay nag participate sa investigation sa extrajudicial killings at nakausap din natin ng malalam itong si Edgar Matobato at pinag aralan ang nangyari dito sa Davao City (I participated in the investigation on the extrajudicial killings, I was able to talk intensively to Edgar Matobato and I studied what happened in Davao City),” Trillanes said during a weekly forum at the Senate.

“Buo po ang aking paniniwala na si President Duterte ang nasa likod ng extrajudicial killings o DDS (Davao Death Squad) sa Davao City at ako rin po naniniwala na sya ang nasa likod nitong extrajudicial killings na nangyayari sa ating bansa,” he said.

(I firmly believe that President Duterte was behind the extrajudicial killings o DDS in Davao City and I also believe that he is behind the extrajudicial killings in the entire country.)

Matobato, who claimed to be a former DDS member, has testified before the Senate committee on justice and accused Duterte of ordering the killings of criminals and enemies when the latter was still mayor of Davao City.

READ: Trillanes seeks Senate probe of ‘DDS’ killings

Trillanes noted that the alleged rise in extrajudicial killings in the country, which reportedly have reached more than 4,000 now,  started since Duterte assumed office.

“Nagsimula ito ng maupo sya sa pwesto. Ngayon kung hindi sya ang nasa likod nito bakit hindi nya mapigil at instead ine-encourage pa nya ang killings? Yan ang malaking probema na kailangang harapin natin dito,” he said.

(The extrajudicial killings started when he assumed office. If he wasn’t behind these, why couldn’t he stop them and instead he encourages the killings? It’s a huge problem we have to face.)

“Pwede tayong magbulag-bulagan, pwede tayong maghanap ng alibi para kay President Duterte pero sya na mismo, umamin sya na pumatay sya ng tao at nasa likod sya ng DDS sa Davao City tapos ngayon tayo pa ang naghahanap ng palusot para sa kanya,” he added.

(We can turn a blind eye on these, we can find an alibi for President Duterte but he himself admitted that he has killed people and he was behind the DDS in Davao City but now we are making excuses for him.)

The senator believes that only the President could stop the killings if he would just give the order to the police.

“Pag sinabi nya sa PNP (Philippine National Police) na pag meron pang namatay na mga civilian or mga suspects kung ano man ang tawag nila dyan ay ire-relieve sa pwesto, at iimbestigahan, hihinto yan,” he said.

(If he would tell the PNP that if civilians, suspects or whatever they are called continue to die, the police officers would be relieved from their posts and would be subjects of an investigation, these killings would stop.)

“Kaya nga sinasabi ko sa mga PNP commanders on the ground, huwag kayong sumunod sa utos na mali at pag nagpalit ang administrasyon at inimbestigahan kayo, kayo rin ang mananagot dyan. Maniwala kayo hindi kayo sasagutin ni President Duterte,” said Trillanes, who was a former Navy official.

(That’s why I’m telling the PNP commanders on the ground, don’t follow orders that are wrong because when the administration changes and you would be subjected to investigation, you would be held liable. Believe me President Duterte won’t be accountable for you.) RAM/rga