Ex-President Duterte Admits to a ‘Death Squad’ in Davao

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte recently confirmed the existence of a ‘death squad’ during his time as mayor of Davao City. However, his accounts of who ran this squad were conflicting. Initially, he said it was led by police officers, but later claimed it was actually run by gangsters. This squad was allegedly tasked with controlling crime in the city. During his presidency, two men, including a former police officer, had testified about being part of this hit squad. They claimed the squad killed people at Duterte’s direction. However, at the time, no solid evidence was found, and Duterte’s aides dismissed these claims as fabrications. In a recent Senate hearing about his anti-drug campaign, Duterte identified some of the squad’s “commanders, ” including former national police chief and current senator, Ronaldo dela Rosa, who was present at the hearing. Duterte admitted that thousands of criminals died while he was mayor but denied ordering the squad to kill defenseless suspects. Instead, he said he told them to encourage criminals to fight back, so they could be killed in self-defense.

Human rights groups have documented around 1, 400 suspicious killings in Davao during Duterte’s 22-year tenure as mayor. Critics argue that his war on drugs as president had similar characteristics. Over 6, 200 people were killed in police operations during this campaign, which is now under investigation by the International Criminal Court. The police have denied that these killings were executions, claiming that the drug suspects violently resisted arrest, forcing authorities to act in self-defense. Senator dela Rosa, who oversaw the bloody crackdown as national police chief, had previously dismissed the idea of death squads as fiction. During the recent hearing, he downplayed Duterte’s remarks, suggesting they were a joke.

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