THE retired policeman, Arturo Lascañas, who earlier claimed as handler of the Davao Death Squad (DDS) and implicated President Rodrigo Duterte behind the executions, is set to face trial before the court in Davao City.
Lascañas was charged with murder and two counts of frustrated murder, following the death of radio announcer Juan Pajadora Pala Jr., alias Jun Pala, who was gunned down last September 6, 2003, while he was on his way home to a village in Davao City.
The three separate cases filed against him raffled off to Regional Trial Court Branch 10 dated on May 29. The three separate cases were filed on the same date and were received by the court on June 1, Thursday afternoon.
In a five-page resolution that was approved May 25, the Davao City Prosecution Office found probable cause to charge Lascañas, former DCPO member, following the complaint filed by the wife of the victim, Louise Aguirre Pala.
A subpoena was issued by the prosecution office on March 29 for the accused to submit his counter-affidavit and countervailing evidence but the return of the subpoena showed Lascañas is no longer residing at the same address.
Reports said Lascañas left the country last April 8, following the threats that a complaint will be filed against him.
But according to Lascañas, there are people looking after him prompting him to leave the country for the time being.
In the resolution, the complainant said her husband Juan, as a radio announcer, had been persistent in criticizing people, who were purportedly involved in questionable transactions.
Sometime in June 2002 while Juan was travelling on the circumferential road in Davao City, men who were onboard a pick-up truck suddenly waylaid him and shot him, hitting different parts of his body. He survived the attack.
In March or April 2003, while Juan was travelling the Mamay Road, now Aliongto, Cabantian in Davao City, onboard a taxi with a company, a group of men onboard a van fired at him. Juan sustained a gunshot wound on his buttock.
The victim seldom went out of his house and continued his radio program at their house, at Davao Empress Subdivision due to threats to his life.
On September 6, 2003, Juan has playing card games with his cousins at a nearby village. When he walked home about 6:45 p.m. he was gunned down by assailants, who took advantage of the vegetation in the area.
Although a police investigation was conducted, not a single suspect was identified.
But Lascañas testified before the Senate hearing on March 6 this year, admitting that he is responsible in the killing of the victim. This admission was likewise reduced into an affidavit dated February 19.
Attached to the complaint are several documents, which include among others the death certificate of the victim, the affidavit of Lascañas and the minutes of the Senate hearing before Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs.
Based on his affidavit and statement as quoted in the minutes of the Senate hearing, Lascañas revealed the existence of the DDS and his being a member of the squad.
Lascañas claimed that the DDS was created to get rid of the criminals in Davao City and working at the behest of then Davao City Mayor and now the country's president Rodrigo Duterte.
He also implicated some police officers and individuals as part of the squad and named the president as his principal, who ordered the killing of Juan.
Lascañas said retired policeman, Senior Police Officer (SPO) 4 Sonny Buenaventura, who was the bodyguard and driver of then mayor, disclosed to him that Duterte was mad at Juan for criticizing him.
According to Buenaventura, Lasca4as said, Duterte was allegedly looking for an assassin, who would kill Juan and was offering P3 million reward.
Lascañas said he accepted the offer and then contacted a certain SPO1 Jim Tan, who likewise got in touch with other assassins.
He added that they plotted the killing of the victim but their first and second attempts were unsuccessful.
Months later, he encountered Duterte at Cafe Ilustrado at a mall along Ilustre Street. Lascañas said Duterte asked him what went wrong with the ambush of the victim then told him to take his time.
Lascañas also claimed that he was introduced by Buenaventura to one Jerry Trocio, who monitored the whereabouts of Pala. He said after they learned of the regular route of Juan, they decided to proceed with their plan to kill him.
Tan was with the squad tasked to kill Juan. They positioned themselves near a church while Lascañas boarded a light Isuzu pick-up owned by the Davao City Government and waited along the national highway.
At around 8 p.m. Tan and his team proceeded to the place where Juan would pass by on foot, on his way home. After 40 minutes, Lascañas was informed by his co-conspirators that the assassination of the victim was successful.
He said a certain Val Duhilag described to him how he hit Juan in different parts of his body with the use of the M16. A month later, Lascañas said, he met the president and the latter handed to him P1 million as his reward.
The prosecution said the declaration of the accused in claiming responsibility over the assassination of the radio announcer, through his affidavit and testimony, before the Senate hearing constitutes extrajudicial confession.
