Immigration to probe Edgar Matobato's exit from Philippines under different name

MANILA, Philippines — Self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato, who has testified against former President Rodrigo Duterte has left the country.

The New York Times story reported on January 5 that Edgar Matobato obtained a new passport and identity, along with a new job description, as he left the Philippines

“Mr. Matobato had managed to obtain a new identity with a new passport and a new job description: gardener. 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,” the New York Times story read. 

The Department of Justice, however, has yet to confirm Matobato’s exit from the country. 

In a message to the STAR, Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval said that the bureau will probe the information about Matobato, as he used a “new identity.”

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

Matobato is a self-confessed member of the Davao Death Squad, the group that allegedly carried out extra-judicial killings in Davao City during the tenure of Duterte, former president and former Davao mayor.  — with reports from the STAR/ Daphne Galvez.