Manila: Senator-Judge Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday corrected the defense panel's assertion that he had recommended filing a perjury case against retired Davao police officer Arturo Lasca±as due to his conflicting testimonies regarding the alleged Davao Death Squad (DDS).
According to Philippines News Agency, Lacson addressed the matter during the ninth day of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial. Defense counsel Mark Vinluan had cited Lacson's previous statements, suggesting that Lasca±as had been recommended for prosecution following Senate inquiries in 2016 and 2017. Lacson clarified, 'I will confirm that Arturo Lasca±as retracted and changed his testimony. After several hearings, nag-retract siya. But hindi po ako nag-file ng perjury. Gusto ko na i-correct 'yan (After several hearings, he retracted. But I did not file a perjury case. I want to correct that).'
Lacson, who led the Senate Committee on Public Order during the inquiry into alleged extrajudicial killings, explained that the committee report merely recommended amending the Revised Penal Code to increase the penalty for perjury. ''Yun po 'yung context na dahil committee report ito, nagre-recommend ako na i-amend 'yung Revised Penal Code, particularly sa krimen ng perjury (That was the context. Since it was a committee report, I recommended amending the Revised Penal Code, particularly the provision on perjury),' he stated.
Lasca±as, a retired Davao City police officer, initially appeared before the Senate in October 2016, denying the existence of the alleged DDS. He later reversed his testimony in March 2017, claiming that he participated in killings allegedly ordered by then-Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte. The Senate inquiry concluded after lawmakers noted that his claims lacked independent corroborating evidence.
Vinluan referenced Lasca±as' changed testimony while questioning National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag about the credibility of the affidavit and the methods used by investigators to obtain and assess it. Matibag denied that the bureau's open-source investigation was limited to a Google search, stating that the NBI had obtained a copy of Lasca±as' affidavit and reviewed news reports and other publicly available information.
Senator-Judge Risa Hontiveros later inquired whether the Vice President had responded to Lasca±as' allegations and whether her public statements were considered in evaluating her alleged capacity to carry out a threat. Matibag confirmed that investigators reviewed a report quoting Duterte as saying she did not need the DDS to accomplish what the group allegedly could. 'Na-consider po namin lahat po 'yan (We considered all of those),' he said, acknowledging that he could not recall the Vice President's exact words. He noted that the reported remark, Lasca±as' affidavit, and other open-source intelligence were part of the NBI's broader investigation.
