Davao death squad hitman leaves Philippines using fake identity

MANILA, Philippines — After a decade in hiding, self-confessed hitman and member of the infamous Davao Death Squad (DDS) Edgar Matobato was able to leave the Philippines using a fake identity and travel documents, according to a New York Times report.

The New York Times published an article over the weekend detailing how Matobato, one of the first who testified against then president Rodrigo Duterte, was able to leave the country with his wife and two stepchildren.

The family, who assumed new identities while in hiding, had to move around to ensure their safety. At one point, under the protection of priests, moved to an undisclosed Catholic Church compound. There, he had a different job: “shearing sheep and feeding chickens,” the article said.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it will investigate.

“We will be conducting an investigation into the information stated in the article,” BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said.

The report did not disclose when Matobato and his family left the country.

“Mr. Matobato had managed to obtain a new identity with a new passport and a new job description: gardener,” wrote Bangkok-based Times reporter Hannah Beech.

“He practiced saying his new name, first, middle and last, but the syllables came out funny, with a question mark hanging over them. His thick hair had been shaved, and he wore large glasses and a gray goatee. A mask covered part of his face,” the report added.

It was unclear who provided Matobato and his family with the fake documents and how they were able to get through the scrutiny of immigration officials.

From the Philippines, Matobato and his family flew to Dubai, where they took another long-haul flight to an undisclosed country. There, they are expected to rebuild a life in permanent exile.

While he had been waiting for years to testify before the International Criminal Court (ICC), Matobato said he would not seek immunity in exchange for his testimony.

Another self-confessed hitman, Arturo Lascañas, reportedly claimed that he obtained immunity from prosecution for testifying before the international court.

The ICC is investigating alleged crimes against humanity committed in the Philippines in relation to the Duterte administration’s war against illegal drugs and reported activities of the Davao Death Squad.

Matobato was among those who testified against Duterte. In September 2016, during the Senate investigation on the drug war killings, he was presented by then senator Leila de Lima to testify on his knowledge about the Davao Death Squad.

His bombshell testimony was largely dismissed by Duterte’s allies, with Lascañas even denying Matobato’s testimony.

Lascañas later recanted his denial and confirmed what Matobato had told the senators.

The Duterte administration dismissed their claims and cited supposed loopholes in their testimonies.

In late 2016, Matobato also filed a complaint against Duterte before the Office of the Ombudsman. Nothing came out of that complaint, prompting calls for an ICC investigation on the killings.

When the ICC prosecutor requested for authorization to formally open an investigation in the Philippines in 2021, it asked the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to include the killings in Davao in the probe.

“The information indicates that law enforcement and members of DDS killed more than 1,000 people in Davao from 1988 to 2016. In 2015, Duterte publicly stated that ‘around 1,700’ people had been killed,” read the ICC prosecutor’s request dated June 14, 2021.

“The persons alleged to have perpetrated the pre-2016 killings in Davao are groups of local police officers and vigilantes, notably the DDS (which included both police officers and private citizens) … The available information suggests that local law enforcement were heavily involved in the DDS, and that some DDS members were in fact police,” it added.

The ICC documents did not directly refer to Matobato and Lascañas, although the prosecutor cited an article about Matobato’s Senate testimony.

In its ruling authorizing the investigation, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber accepted the material provided by the prosecutor about the death squad killings.

“The Chamber notes in particular the information to the effect that a so-called ‘Davao Death Squad’ operated, and that local law enforcement units were heavily involved in its operation. There is information that in 2011-2015 there were around 385 victims of extrajudicial killings in Davao,” read the ruling dated Sept. 15, 2021.

Duterte, in his recent appearances at the House of Representatives and the Senate, dismissed the testimonies of Matobato and Lascañas against him.

The two legislative chambers launched separate investigations on the drug war.

The ICC prosecutor, meanwhile, is expected to wrap up its investigation and issue arrest warrants against those deemed “most responsible” for the alleged crimes. — Daphne Galvez, Rudy Santos