There are seriously disturbing parallels between the murderous activities of the Davao Death Squad (DDS) and the deadly campaign against the so-called drug menace.

The odious similarities include the following:

1. Unabated extrajudicial killings;

2. Monetary rewards to the killers;

3. The victims are mostly poor and petty suspected criminals;

4. Involvement of police elements and their vigilante cohorts;

5. Official tolerance and complicity; and

6. Impunity for the executioners.

Both whistleblowers, Edgar Matobato and SPO3 Arthur Lascañas, have confessed that they were members of the DDS which summarily killed criminal suspects in Davao City and they were paid for the killings.

From 1998 to 2015, the DDS reportedly wantonly killed 1,424 individuals.

In President Duterte’s deadly campaign against drug pushers and drug users, the police and their vigilante conspirators have executed more than 7,000 victims.

Amnesty International has confirmed the veracity of long-circulating reports that cops and vigilantes received prize money for their “jobs”.

These fingerprints of incriminating similarities are too obvious to ignore.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN