But opposition senator denies any 'material concealment'

MANILA - Senator Richard Gordon on Monday alleged that Senator Leila de Lima concealed vital information about self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato, but this was quickly denied by the opposition senator.

During the Senate inquiry on drug-related killings, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) revealed that Matobato had a kidnapping charge filed against him by the live-in partner of alleged terrorist Sali Makdum.

Gordon, who replaced De Lima as the chairman of the Senate Commitee on Justice and Human Rights, said the information could have changed the course of the inquiry.

"It is a fact that there was a case that has been filed against Mr. Matobato after the fact that Mr. Makdum died in 2000. On the other hand, Mr. Matobato accused the people here to have a hand in the kidnapping and killing him. Maybe it was an oversight on the part of Secretary De Lima that that information was not given to us at the proper time," he said.

De Lima, for her part, admitted that she knew about Matobato's kidnapping case, but did not talk about it while Matobato was testifying because she was not sure whether Matobato had already been asked about it.

"Marami po akong notes, na-overlook ko lang po siguro ang information na ito," she said.

Gordon said De Lima seemingly withheld a very important piece of information.

"This is a vital piece of information. A very critical piece of information that should have been revealed here and out of respect for Senator De Lima I said it was an oversight on her part but this is a very, almost fatal, oversight, because as Senator Lacson has pointed out, we invited, for various reasons, the policemen," he said.

"It would appear that in order to evade the light of scrutiny, he deliberately misled us to make us believe that he had no case, that in fact, it was not him and other people, and that it happened at a different date, and most important of all, he implicated other people here, who per NBI investigation, are not even part of that investigation. This is very, very fatal, and although I said it was an oversight, I would say that I have to raise the degree of condemnation," Gordon added.

Gordon was also surprised after being told that Matobato had already left the venue even when the inquiry had yet to be adjourned.

"He must stay. That is the order of the chair so in case he will be needed, he will be presented. He has no business leaving the premises without telling the chair. Now, it just happens to be coincidental na noong umalis siya, lumabas ngayon itong nangyaring ito. Hindi naman natin pinplano ito, pati nga ako nagulat nga," he said.

Gordon said he felt betrayed by his fellow senators.

"I feel very much betrayed, quite frankly, not by Mr. Matobato, but by our fellow senators here as well. Everybody knows that I was going to hold this hearing, that I'm going to go as far as we can," he said, noting that Matobato seemed to have only left the venue when new information about him surfaced.

"If the Director General of the PNP can spend the whole day, and he's got a lot of things to do here, if the other officers of the PNP are here, have stayed the whole day with us, morning and evening, Senator Pacquiao who is about to have a title bout, that is no laughing matter," Gordon added.

For Gordon, it seemed that Matobato was deliberately allowed to leave the venue to avoid being confronted with the issue about him.

De Lima, meanwhile, said she was also not aware that Matobato had already left.

She also reiterated that she only noticed that she had notes about Matobato's kidnapping case after the NBI confirmed it.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV defended De Lima by saying that Matobato already mentioned his kidnapping case during his testimony. He also justified Matobato's exit from the Senate premises early in the evening, saying it was done for security reasons.

Trillanes then read the transcript of Matobato's testimony, wherein he mentioned that a kidnapping case has been filed against him.

Gordon disregarded the transcript, emphasizing that Matobato claimed that Makdum died in 2002, when NBI records showed that he died in 2000.

"Because the charge was 2002 si Makdum pinatay. Ngayon, lumabas, 2000. We have to go chasing phantom ghosts," he added.

De Lima then demanded for an apology.

"Kaya sabi ko kanina, tingnan muna natin kung nasabi ba o natanong si Mr. Matobato tungkol diyan sa pag-file kasi hindi rin po ako sigurado. In the meantime, before checking the TSN [Transcript of Stenographic Notes], you have accused me of material concealment. There was no concealment kasi nabanggit naman po Mr. Matobato, kaya pala nandoon 'yun sa notes ko. So where is the material concealment on the part of Senator De Lima. It was mentioned, there's nothing, there's nothing to disclose to the body after the witness had disclosed it," she said.

De Lima then decided to leave the venue after Gordon refused to apologize.

"And since no apology is forthcoming, I am walking out. Because clearly, there was no concealment on my part because it was disclosed already," she said.

De Lima later said she has yet to decide whether she will still participate in the Senate inquiry given the recent turn of events.

"Tingnan ko muna, pag-iisipan ko muna. I will mull over it," she told reporters shortly after leaving the venue.

She also accused members of the committee of ganging up on her, accusing her of things she did not commit.

"May insinuation din, narinig niyo kanina, may insinuation na para bang sinadya namin na pinaalis. Ano ba 'yan, puro na lang, lahat na lang. Hindi ko na ho gusto 'yan. Sa House, ginagawa sa akin 'yan. Kung ano anong mga binibintang nila. Tapos dito rin, ganun din. Narinig niyo 'yun. Material concealment? My God, that's a very serious accusation. Eh wala naman pala, wala namang material concealment. Kaya nga sinasabi ko ngayon, hindi ako sigurado kung nasabi yun o may nagtanong tungkol doon," De Lima said.

"Then I am demanding for an apology, ayaw naman mag-apologize. Pagkatapos na siniraan ako ng siniraan. So ano pang silbi na nagpapaparticipate?" she added.