Using a caliber-22 with a silencer, police in Davao City, supposedly upon orders of then Davao City Mayor and now President Rodrigo Duterte, allegedly massacred a family, including a pregnant wife and a four-year-old son.
This was how former SPO3 Arturo Lasca帽as narrated on Monday how a 20-year-old kidnapping of a certain Mrs. Abaca had resulted in the deaths of the alleged 鈥渕astermind,鈥� whom he identified as a certain Mr. Patahasa, and his 7-month-old pregnant wife, four-year-old son, 70-year-old plus father-in-law and two helpers.
Lasca帽as said he was part of a team that was ordered by then Mayor Duterte to conduct an investigation on the kidnapping.
He said a certain Inspector Patayan had informed the team that Patahasa was behind the abduction.
Citing information from Patayan, Lasca帽as said they were able to get the suspect while onboard a vehicle with his entire family.
鈥淜inuha namin si Mr. Patahasa, ako ang nag-drive ng kanyang sasakyan. Nilipat namin ang kanyang Mrs. sa likod ng kanyang sasakayan鈥︹�� the former Davao cop said in a press conference at the Senate.
After exiting General Santos City, Lasca帽as said he stopped the car and transferred Patahasa and his family to their van and brought them to a house in the Laud quarry.
He said he and SPO4 Floribel went to Davao City to report to Duterte his initial findings on the abduction and case and also explained why they got the entire family of the suspect.
It was during that meeting that he said Floribel suggested to just kill the entire family.
鈥淒ito po nagbigay ng go signal si Mayor Rody Duterte,鈥� Lasca帽as said, adding that in local dialect, Duterte also told the police to make sure it was a clean operation.
He said they returned to the quarry and after a while, Florebel reiterated Duterte鈥檚 order to kill the family. But he said he and another cop protested and insisted to just terminate the target, and not the entire family.
鈥淎t dahil sa pag insist ko po at walang sumuporta, hiningi ko na lang ang bata na lalaki na dalhin ko sa Butuan City at doon iwanan ko sa isang bus terminal鈥︹�� Lasca帽as said.
鈥淧ero isa sa grupo namin nag comment na paglaki ng batang yan, makikila pa rin nya ang mukha namin at kami hindi na namin sya makikilala at ito ang gagawa ng pagganti dahil inubos natin ang buong pamilya nya,鈥� he said.
But since no one backed聽 his suggestions, Lasca帽as said the entire family of the suspect was killed in front of him.
鈥淣apatay po ang buong pamilya sa harap ko, using a caliber 22 with a silencer. And the rest is history,鈥� he added. RAM/rga