In a stunning admission during a Senate inquiry on Monday, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte revealed that he had maintained a “death squad” of seven gangsters to kill criminals during his time as mayor of Davao city. However, the 79-year-old former leader denied authorizing the police to carry out thousands of extrajudicial killings during his presidency’s bloody crackdown on illegal drugs, which is currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court as a possible crime against humanity.
Duterte’s appearance at the televised inquiry marked his first public appearance since his term ended in 2022. The Senate is investigating the unprecedented scale of drug-related killings under Duterte’s leadership.
“I can make the confession now if you want,” Duterte said, acknowledging his past involvement with the death squad. “I had a death squad of seven, but they were not policemen, they were also gangsters.” He added, “I’ll ask a gangster to kill somebody. If you will not kill (that person), I will kill you now.”
Despite pressing from Senators Aquilino Pimentel III and Risa Hontiveros for more details, Duterte provided unclear responses and said he would explain further in the next hearing.
Throughout the inquiry, Duterte, known for his expletive-laden speeches, stated that he would take full responsibility for the killings that occurred during his presidency. However, he maintained that he never ordered his national police chiefs, including current Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, to undertake extrajudicial killings.
The lack of criminal complaints filed against Duterte in Philippine courts over the killings puzzled the former president. “I’m puzzled why the Justice Department hasn’t filed any case,” he said. “I’ve been killing people for a long time and they haven’t filed any case up to now?”
Former Senator Leila de Lima, a vocal critic of Duterte who investigated the drug killings in Davao, attributed the absence of cases to witnesses being afraid to testify against Duterte while he was in power. De Lima herself was arrested on allegedly fabricated drug charges early in Duterte’s presidency and spent more than six years in detention before being cleared and released last year.
“This man, the former mayor of Davao city and the former president of the Republic of the Philippines, for so long has evaded justice and accountability,” de Lima said, sitting near the former president. She expressed hope that with Duterte out of power, witnesses could now come forward and help prosecute him and his associates.
Arturo Lascanas, a retired police officer who served under Duterte in Davao, previously told The Associated Press that as many as 10,000 suspects may have been killed in the city on orders of Duterte and his key aides. Lascanas, who has gone into hiding abroad, claimed to have provided testimony and evidence to the International Criminal Court.
Despite the serious allegations, Duterte remained defiant throughout the hearing, even issuing a chilling warning to drug dealers and criminals: “If I’m given another chance, I’ll wipe all of you.”
The Senate inquiry has reignited the debate surrounding Duterte’s controversial legacy, with activists regarding him as “a human rights calamity” for the widespread deaths under his war on drugs and his attacks on critical media, the Catholic church, and political opposition.
apnews.com
