Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte recently admitted to the existence of a “death squad” intended to curb crime in Davao City during his tenure as mayor, a tactic he carried into his controversial war on drugs. However, Duterte has given conflicting accounts of the squad’s makeup, at times suggesting it was led by police officers and later attributing it to local gangsters. This admission adds complexity to the accusations that Duterte’s violent approach to crime as mayor laid the groundwork for his national anti-drug campaign as president.
Testimonies and Human Rights Concerns
The existence of the “death squad” has been widely debated. In 2017, former policeman Arturo Lascanas claimed involvement in the squad, confessing to over 200 extrajudicial killings under Duterte’s orders. Speaking from a safe house, Lascanas stated he no longer feared Duterte and expected more former members to testify about Davao’s operations. Human rights groups have documented over 1,400 suspicious killings during Duterte’s 22 years as mayor. Critics argue that these tactics resurfaced in his war on drugs, leading to over 8,000 deaths, a third of which occurred during police operations.
Senator Ronaldo dela Rosa, a former national police chief who oversaw Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, has repeatedly denied the death squads’ existence, calling them “fiction.” In a Senate inquiry last October, dela Rosa suggested Duterte’s recent statements should be taken as a joke, even as Duterte identified alleged “commanders” of the squad, including dela Rosa himself.
International Scrutiny and Government Stance
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has launched an investigation into Duterte’s war on drugs due to its high death toll and the alleged human rights abuses tied to his presidency. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., however, stated in January that the Philippine government would not cooperate, viewing the ICC probe as a threat to national sovereignty. Although ICC investigators are allowed to visit the Philippines, Marcos clarified that they could only do so as “ordinary people,” without government assistance. This stance, supported by Duterte’s allies, counters any suggestions of cooperation, despite recent comments from Marcos’s justice minister that left open the possibility if legal protocols were respected.
