Philippines: Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has made shocking entries regarding his controversial tactics in the war on drugs, revealing that he preserved a “death squad” while performing as mayor of Davao City. In his first testimony before an official investigation, Duterte disclosed that this death squad was composed of gangsters, stating that, “kill this person, because if you do not, I will kill you now.”
Duterte, who ascended to the presidency in 2016 with a pledge to replicate his fierce anti-crime measures on a national scale, faces ongoing scrutiny over the thousands of deaths resulting from police operations during his administration. The International Criminal Court is currently investigating these actions.
During a senate hearing, Duterte claimed that he instructed police officers to encourage suspects to resist arrest, thereby explaining the subsequent violence. Duterte declared that, “Do not question my policies because I offer no apologies, no excuses,” reaffirming his anti-drug stance. He also added that, “I did what I had to do, and whether or not you believe it. I did it for my country.”
The former president acknowledged the existence of a “death squad” but insisted that its members were not police officers. He clarified that, “I had a death squad of seven, but they were not police, they were gangsters.”
Duterte’s testimony marks his first appearance at an inquiry into his anti-drug campaign since leaving office in 2022, allowing him to confront some of his critics directly, including families of drug war victims and former senator Leila de Lima, who was detained on a drug charge that was later dropped.
The Philippine government estimates that over 6,252 individuals have been killed by police and unidentified assailants in connection with Duterte’s drug war, though human rights groups contend the actual number could be in the tens of thousands. A report by the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights criticised Duterte’s approach, suggesting that his statements could be interpreted as granting police officers “permission to kill.”
While police have claimed that many of their victims were drug lords or dealers shot in self-defence during confrontations, families of the deceased assert that their loved ones were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Despite widespread condemnation, Duterte’s drug war garnered substantial support among Filipinos, many of whom struggle with addiction to methamphetamine, commonly known as “shabu.”
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