A witness who claimed to be a former member of the Davao Death Squad (DDS) dropped a bombshell at the Senate on Thursday, accusing then Davao City mayor and now President Rodrigo Duterte of ordering the bombing of a mosque in 1993 and the killing of Muslims.

The witness, Edgar Matobato, was presented by Senator Leila de Lima at the resumption of the hearing of the Senate committee on justice and human rights on the spate of killings in the country.

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Matobato said he was a member of the Cafgu (Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit) until Duterte became Davao city mayor in 1988 and recruited him to join a group dubbed the “Lambada boys.” The group, he said, had only seven members including him.

“Ang trabaho namin ay pumatay ng mga kriminal katulad ng drug pusher, rapist, snatcher. Ganyan ang pinapatay namin araw araw,” he said.

Motabato said they later became the DDS, the group that has long been believed responsible for extrajudicial killings in Davao City.

In 1993, Matobato said, more members joined the group, including rebel returnees and policemen.

It was also in 1993 when the Davao Cathedral Church was bombed.

“Omorder naman si Mayor Duterte na masakerin yung mga moske ng mga Muslim,” he said.

“So, mayroon kayong binomba, inutos kamo ni Mayor Duterte. Pag sinabi n’yong Mayor Duterte, yung dating mayor ng Davao?” asked De Lima.

Motabato answered “Yes,” adding that he was in the same room when Duterte ordered the bombing.

Asked again why Duterte wanted to bomb the mosque, he said: “Kasi parang gumaganti s’ya na binomba ang cathedral. Para na rin kaming terrorist, Ma’am, kasi hindi naman kasali yung bobombahin yung mga Musim.”

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He said the former mayor later ordered them to arrest and kill the Muslim suspects.

“Inaabangan namin ang mga Muslim doon, pinagdudukot namin, pinagpapatay namin, nilibing namin sa mga quarry,” the witness added.

Among the people they allegedly killed was a certain Salik Makdum, whom he said they abducted from the Island City of Samal in 2002.

According to Motabato, they presented Makdum to then-Davao PAOCTF head-now-PNP Chief Ronald de la Rosa. He added that they then killed Makdum whom they buried in a quarry owned by a policeman./rga

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