Former president Rodrigo Duterte dismissed all of the confessions made by alleged Davao Death Squad (DDS) member Arturo Lascañas during the House Quad Committee’s 11th hearing on Wednesday.
Lascañas claimed he received orders from Duterte on whom to kill and where to dispose of the bodies.
During the hearing, panel co-chair, Rep. Dan Fernandez of Santa Rosa, Laguna, questioned Duterte on the credibility of Lascañas’ statements and whether he had known the former DDS member for a long time, since Lascañas had claimed to have worked with Duterte for over three decades.
“Storyteller yan, sir. Sira-ulo” Duterte said.
“Pero matagal ninyo na po siyang kilala, sir?” Fernandez pressed further.
“Oo, pero later on, maybe because sa karaming pinatay niya, hinabol siya ng mga kalag, mga ispiritu ng pinatay niya; medyo bugok na,” Duterte replied.
Fernandez then quoted a statement from Lascañas in which he claimed to have been “blindly loyal” to Duterte, believing he was serving the country’s greater good.
“May hero complex yang buwang na ‘yan. Sino maniniwala sa story na ganon?” Duterte retorted, mocking Lascañas’ version of events.
The questioning continued as Fernandez quoted another part of Lascañas’ testimony, in which he called Duterte the “lord of all drug lords.”
“Kayo daw po ang lord of all drug lords?” Fernandez asked.
“Alam mo man ako, sir. Magpapabili siguro ako ng aspirin, ganon,” Duterte said with a chuckle, suggesting that such an accusation was absurd.
“Di ako dadating ng pagka-presidente, sir, kung ganoon ako,” he added, rejecting the notion that he was involved in the drug trade.