MANILA, Philippines – One of the fiercest critics of President Rodrigo Duterte has likened him to an alleged murderer and a drug cartel leader, after hearing an alleged hired gun testify on murders supposedly ordered by Duterte when he was a mayor. 

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday, September 15, compared Duterte to the late Andal Ampatuan Sr, the alleged mastermind of the 2009 election-related massacre, and Colombian drug cartel leader Pablo Escobar.

Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed hitman of the Davao Death Squad, testified during the 3rd hearing on the extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration. (READ: Senators face off at probe into killings: ‘Trash talk, out of order’)

“Precisely, based on the testimony, the impression that I got [ay] ito ‘yung Ampatuan of Davao City, ‘yung ganung culture of impunity na kahit sino na lang makursunadahan, ‘yun na ang papatayin,” Trillanes told reporters.

(Precisely, based on the testimony, the impression that I got is he is the Ampatuan of Davao City, with the culture of impunity that anyone they want to kill, they would just kill.)

He added: “‘Yun ang ‘pinupunto ko. Sinabi ko rin ‘yan na Pablo Escobar of the Philippines. Ganyan din ‘yung mga methods na ginagawa nila for anybody who would go against them, cross them.”

(That’s what I’m talking about. I also said that he is the Pablo Escobar of the Philippines. Those are the same methods they employed on anybody who would go against them, cross them.)

Ampatuan Sr, along with his son, Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr, is the principal accused in the massacre of 58 individuals in Sityo Masalay, Ampatuan, Maguindanao in November 2009. The attack was aimed at thwarting the gubernatorial bid of rival Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu in the May 2010 polls.

Some of the bullet-riddled bodies were strewn on the open field when police arrived. More had been buried on the same day, along with several of the vehicles.

Escobar, meanwhile, was the Colombian drug lord who built an empire dealing cocaine. He was known for ordering the deaths of thousands of people like “politicians, judges, journalists, and rival traffickers.”

“Nakita ‘nyo naman, makanti lang ng batikos, he will go ballistic. I don’t know how he will react to this, babantayan natin ‘yan,” Trillanes said.

(You see how he is: when he gets criticized, he goes ballistic. I don’t know how he will react to this. We will closely watch this.)

Matobato accused Duterte of having ordered the killings of perceived enemies and critics in Davao City.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the testimony was a diversionary tactic of Senator Leila de Lima, who will be the subject of a congressional investigation into the proliferation of illegal drugs in the national penitentiary when she was the justice secretary.

Matobato also accused first son and Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte of being a drug user, smuggler, and protector of some Chinese drug lords.The young Duterte said he would not dignify with an answer the statements of a “madman.” – Rappler.com