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A former police officer who worked with The Punisher has spoken out about his life as a murderer of drug dealers.
A FORMER Philippine police officer has spoken out about his life as an alleged murderer when the Punisher was his boss.
Arthur Lascanas told a news conference in Manila earlier this week that when Mr Duterte was mayor of Davao city, in the country’s south, he ordered and paid members of a “Death Squad” to kill criminals and political opponents.
Lascanas said he felt compelled to speak out because he was bothered by his conscience.
He described several killings and attacks he said Mr Duterte had ordered, permitted or financed as the mayor of Davao.
At one point, he broke into tears and confessed that he was forced to kill his own brothers, because they were both drug users.
“I had my own two brothers killed. Even if I end up dead, I’m content because I’ve fulfilled my promise to the Lord to make a public confession,” he said.
He also spoke of the 1993 bombing of mosques as retaliation after Muslim rebels were blamed for bombing a Roman Catholic cathedral.
One of their first victims, a suspected drug lord, was gunned down and left with a message that warned others: “Don’t emulate.”
Former police officer Arthur Lascanas broke down during his press conference.Source:AFP
Lascanas said he and other killers identified their group in the message as “Davao Death Squad,” which spread and sparked fear in the sprawling city.
The gang was allegedly paid between $400 and $2000 per murder, depending on who the target was.
“Of all the killings we did in Davao City, either we bury them or throw them into the sea. It is paid by Mayor Rody Duterte,” he said.
The former officer also said he and his group shot dead a kidnapping suspect along with the man’s pregnant wife, young son, father-in-law and two others in another attack with Duterte’s approval.
After his group informed Duterte about the capture of the suspected mastermind of a kidnapping in Davao, Lascanas quoted the mayor as saying, “All right, make it clean.”
An estimated 6000 people have been killed in the Punisher’s war on drugs. Picture: AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELISSource:AFP
Another target was radio commentator Jun Pala, who had angered Duterte with critical commentaries. He was killed in 2003 by gunmen, who Lascanas said included him.
They twice failed to kill him but succeeded in the third attempt, Lascanas said, adding that he personally received a financial reward from the then mayor.
“I’m one of those who killed Jun Pala,” Lascanas said.
Human rights lawyers who presented Lascansas said his allegations could be grounds for impeaching Mr Duterte.
DUTERETE’S LINK TO ‘DEATH SQUADS’
According to a 2009 Human Rights Watch report, Mr Duterte was linked to the Davao Death Squads (DDS), which were responsible for executing petty criminals and drug dealers.
Human rights groups estimate the DDS was responsible for the murders or disappearances of between 1020 and 1040 people between 1998 and 2008.
The report said police officers would give death squad members lists of names of people to kill.
Authorities would largely turn a blind eye, and investigations would prove pointless.
A 2009 UN report criticised Mr Duterte for allegedly encouraging the executions, saying: “The mayor of Davao city has done nothing to prevent these killings, and his public comments suggest that he is, in fact, supportive.”
In 2012, the Commission on Human Rights called for an official investigation into Mr Duterte’s alleged links to the squads, but no evidence was ever found, and officials continue to deny the squads as fictional products of the media.
Rodrigo Duterte has denied the existence of “Death Squads”.Source:AFP
To this day, he denies the existence of such “squads”, although in many public speeches he has openly threatened the lives of drug lords and dealers.
It’s estimated Mr Duterte’s war on drugs has killed over 6000 people, including over 2000 in police operations, and almost 4000 by unknown suspects.
Last month, the war was officially suspended over the widely-publicised murder of an innocent South Korean businessman.
In October last year, Jee Ick-joo was arrested by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG) on a fake warrant, and taken to a detention centre where he was strangled to death less than three hours later.
However, it’s since been reported that the Philippine army intends to create a battalion-sized task force to help anti-drug agencies go after high-level targets.
— with wires