Former President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted to deploying a “death squad” of gangsters to combat crime during his tenure as Davao City mayor. Speaking at a senate inquiry into his controversial war on drugs, Duterte said, “Kill this person, or I will kill you now,” describing how he ordered executions.
Duterte, who expanded the crackdown nationwide after becoming president in 2016, denied police involvement in the squad. However, he encouraged officers to provoke resistance to justify killings during operations.
Though official estimates put drug war deaths at 6,252, rights groups claim the toll could be much higher. Duterte, unrepentant, warned, “If given another chance, I’ll wipe all of you.”
This was his first appearance at an inquiry since leaving office in 2022, where he also faced families of victims and ex-senator Leila de Lima, a jailed critic recently freed.
