“A testimony that is rich in falsity and
fabrication. The Senate Committee on Justice hearing yesterday wasted valuable
government resources and our people’s money by listening to the testimony of
Edgardo Matobato. It was not a hearing on extrajudicial killing, it was a case
of EXTRA-JUDICIAL LYING!”, Justice Secretary Aguirre said after the Senate
Committee on Justice’s, chaired by Senator Leila De Lima, hearing on
Extrajudicial Killing yesterday.
“Matobato is clearly lying. He has been
coached. In my 44 years as a practicing lawyer, I have always believed that
evidence to be credible it must emanate from a credible source, and Matobato is
not credible. Look at his testimony. He said that Mayor Duterte had ordered the
killing of the bodyguards of Congressman Prospero Nograles but Congressman
Karlo Nograles has already said that from his time as the chief of staff of his
father up to the present, none of their bodyguards have been killed. As a
matter of fact, Congressman Nograles said that all their bodyguards are still
alive.
He then said that he was a bodyguard of Paolo
Duterte when he studied in Ateneo de Davao. As you may have read in the news
and in social media, that statement was wrong on two counts. Paolo Duterte
never studied in Ateneo de Davao, he studied in Philippine Women’s College or
PWC where his mother teaches. That can easily be verified. And a schoolmate of
Paolo Duterte said that Matobato was never a bodyguard of Paolo Duterte. He was
clearly lying. Perhaps the only thing in his testimony that is true is his
name!”, added Secretary Aguirre.
“Edgar Motabato could not even make up his
mind on his facts. Initially he said he was a ghost employee by Davao City Hall
and receives 3K per month but later changed it to 5K, ano ba talaga? Initially
he revealed that he killed 50 persons but later on he said it could be 1,000 or
more. There is such a big gap between 50 and 1000. So which is which? One does
not forget such facts if it is indeed true. You will kill one person and your
conscience does not make you forget easily but Matobato could not make up his
mind if it is 50 or 1000.”, Sec. Aguirre further stated.
“The most improbable statement made by Edgar
Matobato yesterday? 30 persons shot a person but the latter was still alive and
it took Mayor Duterte two magazine load of an uzi rifle to finish the life of
the person. It’s so incredible!”, said Sec. Aguirre.
“In addition, Edgar Matobato stated during the
hearing yesterday that on 2003, Senator De Lima, as CHR Chairpeson, had a
police operation to dig the graves of victims of alleged extrajudicial
killings; Senator De Lima immediately corrected Matobato and said that the
digging was done in 2009. Apparently, the Chairperson of the Committee on
Justice was lawyering for the witness”, observed Secretary Aguirre.
“Senator De Lima has always touted that she
has a very good witness against Mayor Duterte. How come that in all her years
as Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights and during her years as
Secretary of Justice that she made this claim, not a single case was filed? It
defies logic. Again, I asked the the question I asked yesterday, WHY ONLY NOW?
Edgar Matobato denied that he executed an affidavit. However, this morning
Senator De Lima admitted that the numerous accusations made by Edgar Matobato
before the Senate hearing yesterday were not contained in the alleged affidavit
that he submitted when he applied for admission to the Witness Protection
Program. The contradiction here insults our imagination!”, said Secretary
Aguirre.
“I believe that this hearing is a desperate
measure to mask the effect of the forthcoming House of Representatives
Committee on Justice Hearing on the proliferation of drugs at the Bilibid prison.
Desperate Times call for Desperate Measures and I believe somebody is desperate. In practice, there is a
saying, the best defense is offense. The hearing yesterday with Edgardo
Matobato as a witness is a poorly and an untruthfully orchestrated attempt at
being on the offense.”, Sec. Aguirre further said.
“I invite everyone to
watch the forthcoming House of Representative’s Committee on Justice hearing on
the Proliferation of Drugs in the NBP next week, and you will see the reason
for this desperation on the part of some persons.”, said Secretary Aguirre.
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