In brief
For nearly 24 years, Edgar Matobato was involved in a deadly death squad under Rodrigo Duterte, confessing to numerous killings and detailing his methods, while now seeking refuge as he prepares to testify against the administration's bloodshed.
Edgar Matobato’s chilling confessions have painted a disturbing picture of life on the frontline of crime in the Philippines. He opens up about his experience as a hit man associated with the death squad in Davao City, linked directly to the former president, Rodrigo Duterte. Under the cover of darkness, Matobato recalls the many ways he ended lives, invoking horror with their sheer brutality. Amidst stories of strangulation with a simple rope and execution with a .45-caliber Colt, the shadowy figure described a particularly grotesque crime—feeding a body to a crocodile. "For almost 24 years, I killed and disposed of many bodies," he admits, a chilling absence of remorse underscoring the confession. At a clandestine location in the Philippines, while rains pelted the makeshift kitchen of his refuge, Matobato reflected on his long history of violence, struggling to recall every victim's face.After admitting to his crimes over a decade ago, Matobato finds himself on the run, forever haunted by a past that he can't easily eradicate. The man who once drew life to an end now seeks justice, hoping to expose the higher powers that sanctioned his deadly orders, revealing how he was recruited and operated under the governance of Duterte, who transitioned from city mayor to president. As he prepares to testify, the shadows of his former life linger, and with them, the desperate hope for survival amidst the chaos that defined his years as a hit man.
