Ex-cop links Philippine leader to killings in Senate inquiry

MANILA / AP

A retired Philippine police officer testified on Monday that President Rodrigo Duterte and his men were linked to nearly 200 killings that the officer and a “death squad” carried out when Duterte was mayor of a southern city.
Arturo Lascanas outlined at a Senate inquiry some of the key killings he and others allegedly staged “with the prior knowledge, direct orders, consent, tolerance or acquiescence” of Duterte, who was mayor of Davao city. “What is related here is just the tip of a bloody iceberg,” Lascanas said in a statement distributed to senators.
Duterte is also under fire for his more recent national anti-drug crackdown that has left thousands of suspected dealers and users dead since he became president last June.
Pro-administration senators grilled Lascanas in the televised inquiry, asking why he had earlier denied both any involvement in the Davao killings and the existence of a “Davao death squad.”
Duterte’s spokesman, Ernesto Abella, described Lascanas as a “perjured witness” and called his testimony “fabricated and unacceptable.”
Lascanas said on Monday he had lied earlier about his role because he was concerned about his family’s safety.
He testified that he was given large amounts of money and monthly allowances by Duterte, a few times directly and often through other police officers, for carrying out the Davao killings and for “blind obedience and loyalty” to the mayor.
Lascanas said he knew of Duterte’s direct involvement in some of the killings, and that his group carried out other attacks led by police officers who told him the assaults were ordered by Duterte. One target was radio commentator Jun Pala, who had angered Duterte with critical broadcasts.