Witness says Philippine president ordered killings

[NWCorona]

Source: Seattle Times

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A former Filipino militiaman testified before the country’s Senate on Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte, when he was still a city mayor, ordered him and other members of a liquidation squad to kill criminals and opponents in gangland-style assaults that left about 1,000 dead.

Edgar Matobato, 57, told the nationally televised Senate committee hearing that he heard Duterte order some of the killings and acknowledged he himself carried out about 50 of the abductions and deadly assaults, including a man who they fed to a crocodile in 2007 in southern Davao city.

The Senate committee inquiry was being led by Sen. Leila de Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign that has left more than 3,000 suspected drug users and dealers dead since he assumed the presidency in June. Duterte has accused de Lima of involvement in illegal drugs, alleging that she used to have a driver who took money from detained drug lords. She has denied the allegations.

“Our job was to kill criminals like drug pushers, rapists, snatchers,” Matobato said under oath, adding some of the targets were not criminals but opponents of Duterte and one of his sons in Davao city.

Read more: http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/witness-says-philippine-president-ordered-killings/

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Bravo to Sen. Leila de Lima. Hopefully this brings him down.

[HellNoKitty]

1. Some crazy crap over in the PI

[Divine Discontent]

4. yeah, I feel for the people there. They got themselves something along the lines of a

Filipino Donald! He is sanctioning mass murder, which could easily kill hundreds of people who aren't truly guilty and give cover to some locals an excuse to kill people they don't like.

[LiberalLovinLug]

6. Yup, and he has the same kind of support. He won the election

My sister in law is Filipino. She has no political interest in either our politics or the country she came from usually. But she defends him vigorously. Filipinos are also brought up in a mostly Catholic religious culture, where even pot use is a serious offense. He gets a lot of support as a strong man that will "clean up" Philippines. (and all their problems will be solved) That kind of simplistic fascist recipe works the world over.

[Divine Discontent]

8. Yes, the simplicity is hopeful but naive

Because awful power seeking men (usually) get into power in those political systems and start killing on the slightest whim. My friend is Filipino, if I didn't say in my post. She said her country is very strict and even though they don't like to judge even gay people have a very hard time being out, sexual freedom is looked down on and there's an expected way to live and work. It all sounded like 1950-60s Stepford wive-ish to me, if I have my reference correct. I am glad I don't live there.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. I heard Duterte admit to committing 3 murders personally in international broadcast interview. . nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Only point of feeding man to crocodile in secret is sadism

Otherwise, you feed him to crocodile in public as an act of terror.

If he simply disappears into the crocodile in secret, there is no deterrent effect and it is just sadism to do something like that.

[Matthew28]

5. There's no difference between trump and this fascist bastard.

Both you locked up in mental institutions.

[Blue_Tires]

7. How did someone this nutty get voted in again?

[Divine Discontent]

9. Simplistic mentalities being dominant in society

I am so hopeful that our country is beyond this... Shrub getting a million less votes than Gore was bewildering and getting more than Kerry jaw-dropping, but he seems like a decent man compared to Trump! Keith Olbermann's names for Trump were spot on. Having him a swing state or two away from the White House is a bit unnerving, ain't gonna lie...

[Coventina]

10. This just in: Witness dead from apparent "suicide"

Film at 11....