'I offer no apologies': Ex-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte admits having 'death squad' in 'war on drugs'

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, on Monday (Oct 28), admitted that he had a "death squad" of gangsters to kill other criminals when he was serving as the mayor of a southern Philippine city.

But Duterte refused to admit that he had authorised the police to gun down thousands of suspects in a brutal anti-drug campaign in 2016. The campaign is still the subject of the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation as a possible crime against humanity.

Police said the campaign left more than 6,000 people dead, but rights groups estimate tens of thousands of mostly poor men were killed by officers and vigilantes, often without proof they were linked to drugs.

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"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 or not, I did it for my country," the 79-year-old defended his action during the trial.

He further added, "I hate drugs, make no mistake about it."

During the anti-drug campaign, that he launched shortly after taking office in 2016, Duterte ordered police to shoot dead suspects if officers believed their lives were in danger.

While the crackdown has been widely condemned and sparked an international investigation, only nine police officers have been convicted for killing drug suspects.

The drug war has continued under Duterte's successor, Ferdinand Marcos, though he has pushed for more emphasis on prevention and rehabilitation.

While the current and former presidents have had a bitter disagreement, Marcos has stressed that his government will not cooperate with the ICC investigation.

The Philippines quit the ICC in 2019 on Duterte's instructions, but the tribunal has said it had jurisdiction over killings before the pullout, as well as killings in the southern city of Davao when Duterte was mayor there, years before he became president.

Duterte claimed on Monday that "drug-related crimes are on the rise again", with daily reports of "children being raped, people getting killed" because "the purveyors of this menace are back in business".

'War on drugs'

Duterte became thepresident of the Philippines in June 2016 and since then he allegedly ordered the authorities to kill thousands of citizens in a campaign called the 'war on drugs'.

He reportedly extended the order of killing till 2022 and swore to continue till he holds the chair of the president.

Locals had alleged that among the people killed in the campaign, most of them were poor people who had nothing to do with drugs.

(With inputs from agencies)