THE House quad-committee formally invited former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Thursday to appear before the committee to address allegations of his involvement in extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during his administration’s bloody war on drugs.
The invitation follows testimony from Leopoldo “Tata” Tan Jr., one of two inmates who admitted to killing three Chinese drug lords inside the maximum security facility of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) in 2016. Tan claimed that the killings were allegedly ordered by the former president.
After hearing Tan’s testimony, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. moved to invite former President Duterte to address the allegations.
“In the interest of fairness, may I move to invite former President Duterte to hear his side on this matter?” Gonzales said.
Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chair of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs and overall chair of the quad-committee, promptly declared the motion carried after it was duly seconded.
In his testimony, Tan claimed that he overheard Supt. Gerardo Padilla, then officer in charge of the DPPF, received a congratulatory phone call allegedly from Duterte after the Chinese drug lords were killed.
The following is an excerpt from Tan’s sworn statement, which became the basis for inviting the former president to the hearing:
“Habang naglalakad kami papuntang Investigation Section, tumunog ang cellphone ni Superintendent Padilla. Nakita ko na pinindot ni Superintendent Padilla ang kanyang cellphone. Nadinig ko na sinabi nung tumawag kay Superintendent Padilla, ‘Congrats Superintendent Padilla, job well done. Pero grabe yung ginawa, ginawang dinuguan.’”
“Alam ko na ang kausap ni Superintendent Padilla ay si Presidente Duterte dahil pamilyar ko ang boses niya.”
“Pagkatapos ng tawag, sabi ni Superintendent Padilla sa mga kasamahan niya doon, ‘Tumawag si Presidente, nag-congrats sa akin.’ Dahil sa sinabing ito ni Superintendent Padilla, kaya lalo akong napaniwala na ang tumawag sa kanya ay si Presidente Duterte.”
Tan, along with another witness, Fernando “Andy” Magdadaro, claimed that the killings were executed under alleged direct orders from then-President Duterte, who had just initiated his controversial bloody anti-drug campaign at the time.
The three EJK victims — Chu Kin Tung, alias Tony Lim; Li Lan Yan, alias Jackson Li; and Wong Meng Pin, alias Wang Ming Ping — were serving sentences for their involvement in illegal drug activities and who were in a separate, heavily secured area within the prison, with two of them previously convicted for operating a drug laboratory in Parañaque City.
The incident, which occurred in August 2016, was initially reported as an altercation among prisoners. However, new sworn statements from Tan and Magdadaro revealed a far more sinister plot.
In their sworn statements, Tan and Magdadaro detailed how they were allegedly approached by law enforcement officers connected to the Duterte administration and instructed to carry out the killings.
Tan said he was serving time in July 2016 at the Davao prison for violating Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, when his high school classmate, SPO4 Arthur “Art” Narsolis, visited him.
He said Narsolis was then assigned at the PNP-CIDG-11 in Davao City and his superiors were Col. Edilberto Leonardo, regional CIDG-11 chief and Lt. Col. Royina Garma.
“Kilala ko si Lt. Col. Royina Garma na karelasyon ni Art,” Tan said.
He alleged that his policeman friend told him, “May ipapatrabaho ako sa iyo at may basbas sa taas. Baka matulungan ka rin namin na makalaya, kakausapin namin ang presidente (apparently referring to then President Rodrigo Duterte).”
The policeman further told him: “Sayang din ‘tong isang manok kada ulo.”
“Sa aking pagkakaintindi at pagkakaalam, ang isang manok ay isang milyon,” Tan said in his affidavit.
He said he accepted Narsolis’ offer of money and freedom because he believed the policeman’s CIDG boss, Col. Leonardo, could deliver on their promise.
Tan said he asked Narsolis who he wanted him to kill, and the policeman gave him a piece of paper on which were written the names of Chu Kin Tong and Jackson Lee, who are confined in the same prison.
“Nagpakita pa si SP04 Arthur Narsolis sa akin ng isang papel na naglalaman ng iba't ibang pangalan ng 32 na Chinese drug lords na naka piit sa iba-ibang kolonya,” Tan said.
He added that the third drug lord, whom he named as Peter Wang, was to be transferred there in the evening of that day.
“Sinabihan ako ni SPO4 Arthur Narsolis na maghanap ako ng kasama ko para sa pagtrabaho sa tatlong Chinese drug lords," Tan said.
He then enlisted the help of fellow inmate Magdadaro, who agreed to participate in exchange for the promised financial reward and the prospect of early release.
“Si Andy ay kaibigan ko at alam ko na isa siyang ‘trabahante’ (taga-katay or killer),” he said.
The following day, Narsolis visited him again to talk to him and Magdadaro.
“Dito binuksan ng gate officer ang control gate at nakita ko din sa gate si Superintendent Gerardo Padilla (then officer in charge of the DPPF) at tinapik pa ako,” he said.
Tan narrated that he asked around where the suspected drug lords were located and learned that they were detailed at the “foreign ward” and that it would be hard for him to kill them as they were confined in different cells.
He reported this to Narsolis but was told that he and the three Chinese would be taken to one cell where he would kill the suspects.
The pair described how they were moved into the same cell as the Chinese inmates before carrying out the murders.
A search was conducted in the prison and a sachet of shabu was confiscated from him and Magdadaro. They were taken to cell No. 6. The three Chinese drug lords were taken to the same cell but they refused to go inside when they saw him, so he and Magdadaro were moved to cell No. 4. After a few minutes, they were returned to cell No. 6.
Tan alleged that on the night of Aug. 13, 2016, he and Magdadaro stabbed the three with “korta and bente nwebe (balisong)” handed to him by Leo Pinkihan, “ang mayor sa bartolina.”
“Noong August 13, 2016 ng gabi, pinag-sasaksak namin ‘yung tatlong Chinese drug lords," Tan admitted.
He said he killed Wang, while Magdadaro stabbed Chu and Lee.
He added that after the murders, Supt. Gerardo Padilla instructed them to dispose of the weapons used in the crime.
Magdadaro's sworn statement corroborated Tan's account, particularly highlighting the alleged involvement of Duterte.
He recalled that after the murders, Supt. Padilla received a phone call, during which the caller reportedly congratulated him on the job well done.
Two days after the death of the three drug lords on August 13, Narsolis visited them again and told them, “Nandito na ang reward ninyo na tig-isang milyon, saan ko to ibibigay.”
Magdadaro told the policeman to also give his P1 million to his wife. “At ang sagot ko, ibigay mo ang isang milyon sa asawa ko.”
Tan said after Narsolis left, he recalled that they agreed on P3 million for the three Chinese, but he thought they were “easy target” and that what was important for them was their promised freedom.
“Pagkaalis ni SP04 Narsolis, naisip ko na ang usapan namin ay isang milyon kada ulo, kaya kulang ang reward na matatanggap ng mga asawa namin," Tan noted.
Subsequently, his wife and Magdadaro’s wife visited them in prison and confirmed that they each received P1 million.
Both inmates expressed their anger and frustration over the broken promises of freedom.
“Pagkatapos noon, hinintay namin ‘yung pinangakong paglaya namin pero hanggang ngayon kami pa rin ay nasa loob ng kulungan," Magdadaro stated in his sworn statement.
“Palagi kong tinatawagan si SPO4 Narsolis patungkol sa aming paglaya at ang palagi niyang sinasabi, ‘mag-antay antay lang kayo, makakalaya din kayo, sabihan namin ang Presidente,” he said.
“Naghintay kami sa pangakong iyon. Hanggang natapos ang administration, hindi kami tinulungan na lumabas,” he said.
He claimed they were forced to admit killing Chu, Wang and Lee and were charged with homicide for the murders and received additional sentences following subsequent conviction despite assurances that they would be released.
“Ang lahat ng sinabi ko sa salaysay na ito ay pawang katotohanan lamang at walang sino man ang nagturo o nag-impluwensiya at alam ko rin na maaaring gamitin laban o pabor sa akin,” Tan said in his affidavit.
He made his sworn statement last August 21. It was notarized in Baguio City by lawyer Jocelyn Runes Bulwayan.
These sworn statements by Tan and Magdadaro are now crucial to the ongoing investigation by the House quad-committee, which is looking into the links between Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs, the illegal drug trade, and the EJKs tied to the previous administration’s drug war.
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