BI discovers name used by Matobato to leave Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has  identified the name used by self-confessed former Davao Death Squad hitman Edgar Matobato that enabled him to slip out of the country.

According to BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval, the BI has obtained information on the “mode” and name used by Matobato to slip past immigration.

“I am not at liberty right now to share the information. Maybe in the next few days we will be able to share that information once it has been submitted to the proper authorities,” she said yesterday over PTV.

Matobato’s “escape” was revealed in an in-depth article by The New York Times published on Jan. 5, which reported on the hitman’s final days of hiding after implicating former president Rodrigo Duterte in the killings.

According to the article, Matobato left the Philippines using a passport bearing his new identity. His final destination and date of departure were not mentioned.

“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,” the article read.

Immigration authorities were not able to recognize Matobato with a new identity since his passport was stamped without question.

According to Sandoval, the BI is also investigating whether Matobato changed his appearance when he left the country.

According to the Times, Matobato’s departure from the Philippines was facilitated by two Catholic priests, who accompanied him and his partner on the flight to Dubai.

From Dubai, the couple boarded another long-haul flight, but their destination wasn’t mentioned in the article for security reasons.