[Trending Now] Lascañas Paid To Retract Statements Says Gordon

Senator Richard Gordon accused witness SPO3 Arturo Lascañas of accepting bribe to turn his testimony against President Rodrigo Duterte during the senate hearing on Wednesday, February 22. 

Last year, Lascañas denied the existence of the so-called Davao Death Squad when questioned by the justice and human rights committee under Gordon. 

But during a Senate press conference last Monday, he retracted this statement and said Duterte ordered him to kill criminals when the latter was still mayor of Davao City.

Lascañas said that Duterte paid them P20,000 to P100,000 depending on the value of the target. He also said that Duterte ordered the bombing of mosques in 1993.

Gordon said, “Dapat nagalit si Senator Leila de Lima, nagsinungaling sa kanya yung testigo e (Senator Leila de Lima should have been mad, the witness lied to her) when he said the DDS is just media hype, that DDS does not exist, that he had nothing to do with the mosque’s bombing.”

“My Goodness, Mr. President. Now he says he bombed them? And you wanna believe this man? This man who lies frequently, who claims he is paid to murder? He is paid now to talk? Can I ask that question? No, I will not ask that question. I’m sure, I’ll say you are now paid that’s why you’re here and I don’t think you can blame me if I said that. Ako lang ho yun, huwag na yung iba (That’s my opinion, leave the others alone),” he added.

Despite Gordon's objections, Sen. Antonio Trillanes moved to have the issue referred for further investigation through the public order and dangerous drugs committee under Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Source: TNP, inquirer