Bail halved to P 30k

Matobato’s motion claims he only met de Lima when Senate inquiry was already ongoing

THE bail bond of selfproclaimed Davao Death Squad member Edgar Matobato has been reduced from P60,000 to P30,000 after the hearing at the Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 3 of Presiding Judge Silverio Mandalupe yesterday morning for the urgent motion to reduce bail filed by Matobato's lawyer Jude Josue Sabio.

In that same motion, Matobato claimed he only met Senator Leila de Lima after he left the witness protection program in May 2016 and when the Senate inquiry was already ongoing through Jesuit priest Fr. Albert Alejo, whom he was referred to by other religious personalities who helped him.

In their urgent motion, it said that the court did not take into account their earlier urgent comment to the prosecution’s motion to recall bail. The prosecution's reasoning, which was favored by Judge Mandalupe in his latest order, stated that Matobato has already failed to appear in court for nine times already and only two settings were with legal bases.

The prosecution also admitted that they have made an oversight in recommending the amount of P2,000 as the bail for the violation of the Section 31 of RA 10591 and thus recommended it to be increased to P60,000.

According to the motion to reduce bail filed by Sabio, the urgent comment actually states that Matobato opposed the raising of that bail as it is legally unfair for him since he has earlier posted bail twice with the original amount of P2,000 first in June 2014 in Davao City and second in 2016 in Manila.

The accused also asked the court to reduce the recommended bail to half, from P60,000 to P30,000.

It also claimed that since June 19, 2014, Matobato was allegedly taken away by his cohorts telling him that they had a project but instead placed him under detention on a trumped up charge of illegal possession of firearm. The defense also claimed Matobato was even tortured while in police custody.

It said that Matobato following his release from custody on bail last June 30, 2014 left Davao by boat to Cebu and later went and resided in Samar. While still residing in Samar, he went to Manila supposedly to surrender and confess to Ted Failon of ABS-CBN who unfortunately told him that they will still call his Davao contacts to validate.

Later Matobato went to Tacloban City to seek help from the Tacloban CHR, but the said office informed him that they could not provide him security, and told him to go to DOJ Manila. Matobato