NBI Probes Lascañas Affidavit Linking Sara Duterte to Oplan Tokhang

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is looking into an affidavit submitted by former Davao senior police officer Arturo Lascañas to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which alleges Vice President Sara Duterte's involvement in "Oplan Tokhang." During the eighth day of the impeachment trial, NBI Director Melvin Matibag stated that the bureau's Special Task Force evaluated the document as part of its investigation into alleged "patterns of violence" by Duterte, particularly concerning alleged threats against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. "In his affidavit, Arturo Lascañas described and stated that the Vice President herself was involved in Oplan Tokhang, as one of its architects," Matibag said. He added, "He also said that instead of shooting and killing the subjects so that the media wouldn't know, there was an order to have shabu users, other criminals, and drug dealers kidnapped and buried in a quarry." It was recalled in 2024 that Lascañas, who confessed to being a member of the original Davao Death Squad (DDS), accused Duterte of orchestrating "Oplan Tokhang" in Davao City during her term as mayor in 2012. Speaking to the media from an undisclosed overseas location, the former policeman stated he submitted a 186-page affidavit to the ICC, containing information on alleged killings perpetrated by former president Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, the current Vice President's, involvement in extrajudicial killings in Davao City. A portion of the affidavit read by Matibag during the trial noted that "Oplan Tokhang and the evil side of its enforcement" were conceived between 2012 and 2013 by its so-called "author," then-Davao City Police Office Director and now-senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa. The operations were supposedly all "cleared and approved" by then-mayor Sara Duterte and her father, Rodrigo Duterte. The defense team raised continuous objections to Matibag's reading of the document, arguing that such "hearsay" could mislead the senator-judges and the public into believing the truth or falsity of the statements. "It is highly improper, with all due respect, Your Honor, for this Honorable Court to allow the reading of a portion of an affidavit that was not authored by this witness. He doesn't know, he doesn't have personal knowledge, and he's not competent to testify as to the truth or falsity of these statements," stated defense counsel Atty. Mark Vinluan. — VDV, GMA News