Retired SPO3 Arturo Lascañas, the alleged team leader of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS), is continuing his testimony before the Senate Public Order Committee.
He maintained that the existence of the Davao Death Squad is true and that they killed some persons upon the orders of then Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
At the onset of the hearing, Senate Committee Chairman Panfilo Lacson reminded Lascañas that his narrations should be backed by concrete proof.
The senator said, Lascañas’ verbal confessions must be backed by other pieces of evidence.
Lascañas reiterated that it was Duterte who instructed him to kill radio broadcaster Jun Pala.
He also said, other murders were perpetrated by the DDS.
He named a certain Fred Sotto, a part-time radio commentator, as among those who were killed.
A certain Sonny Buenaventura allegedly relayed to them some of the orders from the former mayor.
Lascañas also went back to his story on the deaths of a kidnapping suspect, a certain Mr. Patasaja, and his family in Laud Quarry in Davao City.
“In the business of killing, trust no one,” he said, quoting the words supposedly of a certain Major Macasaet, who had told them to go on and finish off the suspect and his kin.
The victims' bodies were allegedly buried at the quarry site.
Lascañas said, spiritual renewal and his dialysis treatment prompted him to expose the murders.
Senator JV Ejercito asked, "bakit kung kailan ka nagretiro, doon ka tumalikod kay Duterte (how come it was when you had already retired that you turned away from Duterte)?"
"Hindi ko na kayang labanan ang kunsensya ko (I can't fight against my conscience). I promised the Lord that if given another chance, I will make a public confession," he told the senators.
When asked by Senator Grace Poe who was the first person that Lascañas had killed, the retired cop said he could not remember.
The senators express dismay over some of the answers of their resource person.