Arturo “Arthur” Lascañas, a former senior police officer from Davao, has made serious allegations against Vice President Sara Duterte, asserting her involvement in orchestrating ‘Oplan Tokhang’ during her tenure as mayor of Davao City in 2012. The claims emerged during a media interaction following the conclusion of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) pre-trial investigation into alleged crimes against humanity linked to the Duterte administration’s drug war.
In a detailed 186-page affidavit submitted to the ICC, Lascañas alleges that both the former President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, the current Vice President, were involved in extrajudicial killings in Davao City. He contends that VP Sara Duterte was instrumental in initiating ‘Oplan Tokhang’ and appointing Bato Dela Rosa as the Chief of Police in Davao City, who, according to Lascañas, crafted a new extrajudicial killing campaign targeting individuals involved in illegal drug activities.
Lascañas claims that the campaign led to a significant number of fatalities, estimating around 3,000 at Laud Quarry alone and a total of approximately 10,000 deaths in Davao City, including known and missing victims. These numbers are said to be separate from the casualties of the national drug war led by the Duterte administration.
The former policeman also submitted additional evidence, including a notebook to the ICC office of the prosecutor, documenting his knowledge of the alleged killings supposedly ordered by the former president and implicating Sara Duterte, Davao congressman Paolo ‘Pulong’ Duterte, and others.
Lascañas issued a stark warning to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., cautioning him against trusting Rodrigo Duterte and VP Sara Duterte, whom he labeled as traitors. He further accused the former president of operating a shabu laboratory in the Davao Region and possessing an extensive collection of firearms, some allegedly sourced from Quiboloy.
While Sara Duterte has stated her readiness to face these accusations only in a Philippine court, denying any linkage to the DDS before her vice presidency, the detailed allegations by Lascañas have stirred up a contentious debate and await further clarification and responses from the involved parties.