A former Davao City cop, who claims to be part of the original Davao Death Squad (DDS), said Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte is the one behind the Oplan Tokhang during her stint as mayor of the city in 2012.
Speaking to reporters via Zoom on Friday from an undisclosed location outside the country, retired police officer Arturo Lascañas said he submitted a 186-page affidavit to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which contains information on the alleged killings perpetrated by former President Rodrigo Duterte and the involvement of his daughter in the execution of 10,000 people in Davao city.
Lascañas claimed that 'Oplan Tokhang' is Sara Duterte's brainchild alongside Senator Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa, whom she appointed as the chief of Davao City police back in 2012.
"Siya nga ang pasimuno nitong Oplan Tokhang nung naka-upo siya as mayor nung 2012 in-appoint nya si Bato Dela Rosa as Chief of Police ng Davao City," the ex-cop said.
“Sinabi sa akin ni Bato Dela Rosa na nag-craft sila ng panibago ngayong extra judicial killing na campaign against illegal drugs which is Toktok Hangnyo meaning Tokhang,” he continued.
The former cop said Duterte could sometimes be even more brutal than her father, ordering Dela Rosa just to kidnap their targets to make it appear as a missing person case.
In the past, the Dutertes have repeatedly denied the existence of the Davao Death Squad.
Meanwhile, when asked about the number of victims due to extrajudicial killings in Davao City, Lascañas said: "Sa Laud Quarry lang po sa estimation ko lang, mayroon pong mga more or less 3,000. Pero ang total damage na napatay sa Davao City yung nakita at saka yung missing, more or less 10,000."
The figures, he added, are separate from the victims of the controversial war on drugs campaign of former president Duterte.
Based on the government's data, only 6,000 individuals were killed during the drug war, but independent monitoring by human rights watchdogs said fatalities accumulated at around 20,000.
Illegal drug smuggling, shabu laboratory
In the same interview, the former Davao cop also revealed that Sara's brother Paolo 'Pulong' Duterte, who was then the vice mayor and now congressman of Davao’s first district, runs an illegal drug smuggling in the province.
Lascañas said he served as frontman in the transport of bribe money “per instruction of Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte” from the Davao port. He detailed that he would personally deliver around PHP 50,000 to Dela Rosa and about PHP 150,000 to Paolo every week.
According to him, former President Duterte runs a shabu laboratory in the Davao Region, and that the latter has over 1,000 firearms in his collection.
"Niloloko mo mga Pilipino. Anong ginawa mo? Drug war? Anong drug war? Ikaw ang drug lord. Pinapapatay niya sa grupo namin ni SPO4 Ben Laud yung 11 chinese workers and chemist ng Davao Shabu Lab at ng Barangay Obrero. Si Mayor Duterte ang in charge dito sa Southern Mindanao dito sa mga shabu laboratory,” he said.
“Ang gun collection ni Mayor Duterte during my time more than 1,000. Galing po ito kay Quiboloy. Nagbi-byahe si Quiboloy dala yung eroplano ni Duterte sa Amerika nagdala yan ng spare parts, silencer. Mga bala. Mga parts,” Lascañas added.
Warns Marcos
Lascañas warned President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. not to trust the Dutertes.
“Panawagan ko po sa Pangulong (Ferdinand) Bongbong Marcos na mag-ingat po at ‘wag po magkumpyansa sa halimaw ng Davao na si Rodrigo Roa Duterte at yan allegedly Vice President Sara 'Tambaloslos' Duterte,” Lascañas said.
“Mga traydor po ang mga ito,” he added.
Duterte had six full terms as Davao City mayor between 1992 and 2016. He served as Davao congressman from 1998 to 2001 and was vice mayor from 2010 to 2013, while his daughter Sara was Davao’s chief executive.
Lascañas, meanwhile, served as Davao City police for 34 years in those years.
