He said numerous targets were garroted, burned, quartered or disemboweled, and then buried at a quarry.
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He said others were thrown into the sea, their stomach slashed to prevent bodies floating to the surface, he said.
In explosive allegations before the Senate yesterday, Mr Edgar Matobato, 57, testified that he and a couple of policemen and former communist guerillas took part in the killings as part of a “death squad” formed by Mr Duterte after he became mayor of Davao in 1988 “to kill criminals, drug pushers, snatchers, rapists”.
Human-rights groups have also called Duterte the “Death Squad Mayor”, a moniker he seemingly embraced in May during the election, saying in televised remarks, “Am I the death squad?”
Rights groups have documented some 1,400 suspicious killings in Davao since the early 1990s and critics say the bloody war on drugs Duterte has unleashed since taking office on June 30 bears the hallmarks of similar methods.
The presidential palace has denied the latest accusations against Duterte.
Matobato said the death squad also “tortured” him when he asked to leave the group in 2013, telling his bosses he was “too old” for it and wanted to look for a proper job.
He said Duterte ordered a bombing of a Muslim mosque in retaliation to the 1993 bombing of the San Pedro Cathedral here but said there was no casualty since no people was inside the mosque at that time.
“Jamisola (the justice department official) was still alive when he (Duterte) arrived”.
Matobato’s testimony set off a tense exchange between senators allied with Duterte and those critical of him.
Matabato claims he was part of a death squad run on the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte while he was still mayor of Davao City.
Rodrigo Duterte’s eldest son and current Davao vice mayor, Paolo Duterte, issued a statement rejecting Matobato’s testimony, which he said was “all based on hearsays”.
But, since assuming office, his approach has sparked controversy, involving vigilantism and extrajudicial killings – he even offered medals to citizens who killed drug dealers. That’s what we did.
In the same Senate hearing, Philippine police chief Ronald Bato introduced that 3,541 people have been killed in the “shoot-to-kill” drug war during Duterte’s nearly 80 days in office. Recognizing that Kim was responsible for a great number of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, the United States placed a ban on communication and involvement with the Korean leader.
“I don’t think he’s capable of giving a directive like that. We can not now pretend that the explosive testimony of Edgar Matobato fails to meet precedents on previous grants of protection”. “True, that’s true”, he said, later promising to kill thousands more criminals.
Former death squad member Edgar Matobato gestures as he testifies during a senate hearing in Manila on September 15, 2016.
The families of some of the victims of Philippines’ war on drugs.
“The officers told us ordinary killings won’t do”, said Mr Matobato.
He said they were taken to the Island Garden City at Samal, where they were killed.
Matobato’s alleged that a death squad abducted and executed four bodyguards of Prospero Nograles, a rival of Duterte’s.
Duterte’s office denies all claims.
“May I suggest that you wear the hijab which shows your face or cooperate with the security personnel and show your face if you are wearing the burqa”, the mayor said.
On Sept. 5, Duterte publicly bashed President Barack Obama, who canceled a meeting with the Filipino president in Laos, according to NBC. The comments were roundly denounced by the United Nations and rights watchdogs.
De Lima said the rights body later dug up several skeletons of unidentified people at the Davao quarry.
In a speech on Thursday he made no mention of the senate hearing.
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“They were killed like chickens”, said Mr Matobato, who added he backed away from the killings after feeling guilty and entered a government witness-protection programme.
