MANILA, Philippines — As the International Criminal Court (ICC) began its confirmation of charges hearing in the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte, a lawmaker reminded the public that Duterte had openly spoken about having Davao City police officers, including now-Senator Ronald dela Rosa, as members of his alleged death squad.
In a privilege speech on Monday, Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said Duterte not only boasted about killing suspected drug users and traders, but also encouraged police officers to follow his lead, even promising to serve as their lawyer.
“These deaths were not isolated incidents. They were accompanied by public pronouncements encouraging lethal force, marked by patterns such as similar police reports, recurring ‘nanlaban’ narratives, and a climate of impunity that emboldened violence,” De Lima said.
De Lima cited previous Senate and House hearings on the drug war, noting that Duterte admitted Dela Rosa and other former Davao City police chiefs led what he described as a death squad.
During a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on October 28, 2024, Duterte admitted that several local Philippine National Police (PNP) chiefs during his presidency were heads of death squads, including Dela Rosa. He said the term “death squad” was loosely used, but all the past PNP chiefs—Dela Rosa, retired Gen. Archie Gamboa, retired Gen. Debold Sinas, and retired Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr.—were heads of death squads.
However, Duterte maintained that he did not order the summary killing of anyone, instead directing that suspects be provoked to fight so they could be killed. He also confessed that when he was Davao City mayor, he assembled a seven-man hit squad composed of gangsters to target heinous criminals, rather than police officers who might face suspension for their actions.
At a November 13, 2024, quad committee hearing, Duterte admitted personally killing around six or seven individuals while mayor, claiming he patrolled the city to confront criminals and prayed for violent suspects to appear. He added that lethal force was only justified if a suspect resisted violently.
Duterte has been under ICC custody since March 2025. The Pre-Trial Chamber I will hold a four-day confirmation of charges hearing on the crimes against humanity case, though Duterte will not attend, having been granted leave to skip the proceedings.
