Who is Edgar Matobato?
Matobato said he was a former member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) before he was recruited to be part of the “Lambada Boys,” – the predecessor of the infamous Davao Death Squad (DDS).
Membership of the DDS grew in 1993 composed mostly by rebel returnees, policemen, and former members of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa said he does not know Matobato personally, but has heard his name as a “tirador.”
Matobato, saying his conscience bothered him, said he decided to quit the group in September 2013 after killing a woman old enough to be his mother. He also cited his age.
After he tried to leave the group, Matobato said he was arrested and made to admit killing businessman Richard King. He said he was tortured by law enforcers, but managed to escape.
“It was painful to me, I served them well during those years. I was tortured, they wanted to kill me. But I managed to escape with the help of my live-in partner,” he said.
Matobato said he hid in Cebu, Leyte, Samar until he decided to surrender to a provincial CHR office that later advised him to go to the Department of Justice (DoJ) in Manila where he was placed under the Witness Protection Program (WPP) in September, 2014.
When President Duterte won the presidency, Matobato said he quit the WPP. (Hannah Torregoza)