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Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has admitted that he kept a “death squad” to crack down on crime while mayor of one of the country’s largest cities.<\/p>\n
In his first testimony before an official investigation on his so-called war on drugs, the 79-year-old said the squad was made of gangsters, adding that he would tell them “kill this person, because if you do not, I will kill you now”.<\/p>\n
Duterte won the presidency by a landslide in 2016 on the promise of replicating his anti-crime campaign in Davao city on a national scale.<\/p>\n
The nationwide drug war saw thousands of suspects killed in controversial police operations and is now being investigated by the International Criminal Court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
During the senate hearing on Monday, Duterte also said he told police officers to “encourage” suspects to fight back so officers could justify the killings.<\/p>\n
“Do not question my policies because I offer no apologies, no excuses. I did what I had to do, and whether or not you believe it… I did it for my country,” said Duterte in his opening statement. <\/p>\n
“I hate drugs, make no mistake about it.”<\/p>\n
However, he denied that he gave his police chiefs permission to kill suspects, adding that his “death squad” was made of “gangsters… not policemen”. <\/p>\n
“I can make the confession now if you want. I had a death squad of seven, but they were not police, they were gangsters.”<\/p>\n
Duterte also remained defiant, claiming that many criminals had resumed their illegal activities after he stepped down as president. <\/p>\n
“If given another chance, I’ll wipe all of you,” he said.<\/p>\n
His appearance on Monday was the first time he had showed up at an inquiry into his anti-drug campaign since his term ended in 2022. <\/p>\n