The House quad committee formally invited former President Rodrigo Duterte to appear before the committee to address allegations of his involvement in extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during his administration’s bloody war on drugs.
Two inmates also came forward with explosive allegations implicating Duterte in the 2016 killings of three convicted Chinese drug lords inside the maximum security facility of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) in Davao del Norte.
Inmates Leopoldo Tan Jr. and Fernando “Andy” Magdadaro were the latest witnesses presented before the House quad committee.
The two said the killings were executed allegedly under direct orders from then-President Duterte, who had just initiated his controversial war on drugs.
The three victims — Chu Kin Tung, alias Tony Lim; Li Lan Yan, alias Jackson Li; and Wong Meng Pin, alias Wang Ming Ping — were serving sentences for their involvement in illegal drug activities.
The incident, which occurred in August 2016, was initially reported as an altercation among prisoners.
However, new sworn statements from Tan and Magdadaro revealed a far more sinister plot.
After hearing Tan’s testimony, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. moved to invite the former President to address the allegations.
“In the interest of fairness, may I move to invite former President Duterte to hear his side on this matter?” Gonzales said.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the Committee on Dangerous Drugs and overall chairman of the quad-committee, promptly declared the motion carried after it was duly seconded.
Duterte has yet to make a comment as of press time.
In his testimony, Tan said he overheard Supt. Gerardo Padilla, then officer-in-charge of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm, receiving a congratulatory phone call from Duterte after the Chinese drug lords were killed.
Tan said in his sworn statement: “Habang naglalakad kami papuntang Investigation Section, tumunog ang cellphone ni Superintendent Padilla. Nakita ko na pinindot ni Superintendent Padilla ang kanyang cellphone. Nadinig ko na sinabi nung tumawag kay Superintendent Padilla, ‘Congrats Superintendent Padilla, job well done. Pero grabe yung ginawa, ginawang dinuguan.’ (While we were walking to the Investigation Section, Superintendent Padilla’s cell phone rang. I saw that Superintendent Padilla pressed his cellphone. I heard it said when Superintendent Padilla was called, ‘Congratulations Superintendent Padilla, job well done. But what was done was terrible, made to bleed.’)”
“Alam ko na ang kausap ni Superintendent Padilla ay si Presidente Duterte dahil pamilyar ko ang boses niya. (I know that what Superintendent Padilla is talking to is President Duterte because I know his voice.)”
“Pagkatapos ng tawag, sabi ni Superintendent Padilla sa mga kasamahan niya doon, ‘Tumawag si Presidente, nag-congrats sa akin.’ Dahil sa sinabing ito ni Superintendent Padilla, kaya lalo akong napaniwala na ang tumawag sa kanya ay si Presidente Duterte. (After the call, Superintendent Padilla said to his colleagues there, ‘The President called, congratulated me.’ Because of what Superintendent Padilla said, I believed even more that it was President Duterte who called him.)
Tan said he was serving time in July 2016 at the Davao prison when his high school classmate, SPO4 Arthur Narsolis, visited him.
He said his policeman friend told him: “May ipapatrabaho ako sa iyo at may basbas sa taas. Baka matulungan ka rin namin na makalaya, kakausapin namin ang presidente. (I have work for you and it has go signal from above. Maybe we can help you out of jail, we will talk to the President.)”
He said Narsolis showed him a paper containing the names of 32 Chinese drug lords who are imprisoned in different colonies.
Tan said Narsolis tasked him to find a partner to work on the three Chinese drug lords.
Tan alleged that on the night of Aug. 13, 2016, he and Magdadaro stabbed the three with “korta and bente nwebe (balisong)” handed to him by Leo Pinkihan — the designated “mayor” of theor cell.
“On the night of August 13, 2016, we stabbed the three Chinese drug lords,” he said.
Tan said he killed Wang, while Magdadaro stabbed to death Chu and Lee.
Two days after the death of the three drug lords, Narsolis visited them again and told them, “Nandito na ang reward ninyo na tig-isang milyon, saan ko to ibibigay.”
Tan said they agreed that their bounty of P1 million each will be given to their wives.
Subsequently, his wife and Magdadaro’s wife visited them in prison and confirmed that they each received P1 million.
