Former President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday, October 28, that he “kept a death squad” to kill other criminals when he was still a mayor of Davao City.
Duterte made the admission in his first public appearance in the Senate since leaving office in 2022, as he participated in the televised inquiry.
In the hearing, Duterte confirmed without going into details that he previously had a death squad of seven “gangsters” to handle criminals during his tenure as mayor of Davao City, prior to his presidency.
“I can make the confession now if you want. Talagang niyayari ko pero ‘wag mo naman [idamay iyong] pulis, kawawa naman. Meron akong death squad pero hindi ‘yung mga police. Sila rin yung mga gangster,” Duterte said.
“Iyong isang gangster, utusan ko, patayin mo yan. Kasi kung hindi mo patayin ‘yan, patayin kita ngayon,” Duterte added.
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, who was leading the inquiry, along with Senator Risa Hontiveros, urged Duterte to offer more specifics. However, the former president replied ambiguously, stating that he would clarify further during the next hearing.
“Did I ever tell you to kill any criminal?” Duterte asked his former police chiefs.
“No, Mr. president,” former Philippine National Police chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa replied.
Former Senator Leila de Lima, a prominent critic of Duterte who previously investigated the drug killings in Davao, stated that there is sufficient evidence and witnesses regarding the extrajudicial killings; however, they are afraid to come forward and testify against him.
On the other hand, Retired Police Colonel Royina Garma testified before the House Quad Committee that the national anti-drug campaign was modeled after the Davao system, which provided financial incentives to police officers for each drug suspect killed.
She revealed that these rewards ranged from ₱20,000 to ₱1 million per killing and confirmed the existence of a Davao Death Squad.
Garma also recounted receiving a monetary reward during her tenure in Davao City after a police operation resulted in the death of a thief. (TCSP)
