A member of the Kagan ethnolinguistic group belied the statement of self-confessed hitman of the Davao Death Squad, retired Police Arturo Lascaṅas that their mosque was bombed through the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte when he was still mayor of the city.
Indigenous People mandatory Representative Halila Sudagar said that she has been living in Camamara Mosque along Ma-a Diversion road for more than 24 years already and she could not recall when the mosque was bombed.
“I’ve been raised in Camamara Mosque and there was never a time that our mosque was bombed,” Sudagar said.
Lascaṅas said during the senate hearing that Duterte ordered to bomb several mosques in the city in revenge to the bombing of the San Pedro Cathedral in 1993 that killed six civilians and injured 130 others.
During the senate hearing, Lascaṅas said that Duterte paid him and the members of the so called Davao Death Squad P300, 000 after they bombed several mosques in the city.
He said that they were divided into three groups and their group was assigned to bomb the mosque in Diversion Road, Ma-a – referring to the Camamara Mosque.
“He said that they bombed our mosque, it is not true. It’s a lie,” Sudagar said.
In 2003, three mosques here were bombed by unidentified perpetrators hours after the bombing of the Sasa Wharf that killed 16 people and injured 57 others.
The first explosion was at the Muslim district of Tibungco, followed by the mosque in Toril and in Mini Forest, Boulevard.
No reported injuries were recorded during the three bombings.
