Duterte: My PNP chiefs were ‘death squads’ heads

Former President Rodrigo Duterte attends the Senate hearing on the drug war on Oct. 28, 2024.

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday told the Senate that several Philippine National Police (PNP) chiefs during his term were heads of death squads, including his first police chief and now Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa.

During the hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee on the Duterte administration’s drug war, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada was checking on the alleged existence of a Davao Death Squad (DDS) that Duterte supposedly organized to kill street-level criminals.

Duterte denied the existence of the DDS, but said that his PNP chiefs, being former city directors, were heads of death squads.

“Lahat itong sa right side ko, dumaan ito [sa] chief of police, police director. Puro commander ng death squad ‘yan,” Duterte said.

(All these people on my right side, they became chief of police, police director. They are the commander of the death squad.)

“I thought there was no existence [of the death squad]?” Estrada asked.

“Trabaho ng pulis ‘yan.  Eh literal, hindi mo sabihin na death squad, ‘yon isang senador, ‘yang naka-upo d’yan, si Senator Dela Rosa, death squad rin ‘yan because they were police directors handling, controlling crimes in the city,” Duterte replied.

(It was the job of the police. Literally, you will not say death squad, one senator, the one sitting there, Senator Dela Rosa, he was part of the death squad because they were police directors handling, controlling crimes in the city.)

According to Duterte, the term “death squad” was loosely used, but all the past PNP chiefs present at the Senate briefing — Dela Rosa, retired Gen. Archie Gamboa, retired Gen. Debold Sinas, retired Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. — were heads of death squads.

However, Duterte clarified that he had not ordered the summary killing of anyone. Instead, he said his directive was to encourage suspects to fight, so that they could be killed.

“Lahat ‘yan sila, ito si Danao oh, ayan oh, nagdadasal kasi sa kasalanan niya siguro.  Ilan ba ang pinatay mo?  Dumaan ‘yan, eh ito, dela Rosa, tanungin ko sila ngayon, tanungin ninyo, openly lahat ‘yan dumaan sa pagka-police chief, pati ‘yan si Gamboa, Danao kung may utos ba ako na patayin yung tao na nakatali ‘yong paa pati ‘yong kamay sa likod, or assassinate them?” he said.

(All of them, Danao was probably praying because of his sins. How many did you kill? He has been there, Dela Rosa. I will ask them now openly. All of them became police chief, even Gamboa, Danao. Did I order to kill someone whose feet and hands were tied?)

“Ang sinabi ko ganito: Prangkahan tayo, encourage the criminals to fight, encourage them to draw their guns, ‘yan buhay ‘yan, ‘yan ang instruction ko…Encourage them lumabanan, ‘pagka lumaban, patayin ninyo para matapos na ang problema ko sa ciudad ko,” he added.

(What I said was this: Let’s be frank, encourage the encourage the criminals to fight, encourage them to draw their guns. That was my instruction…Encourage them to fight, when they fight kill them so that the problems in my city will be gone.)

The Senate Blue Ribbon panel started its investigation into the drug war after Dela Rosa and Sen. Bong Go filed resolutions on the matter.  The probe came after several revelations during the House of Representatives’ quad-committee hearings on the drug war.

During the hearings of the quad committee, former police officials like retired police colonel Royina Garma admitted to the existence of a rewards system in the drug war, where cops who kill drug suspects were rewarded.

Garma also said last October 22 that the DDS existed, and that it was common knowledge among police officials in Davao City.

READ: Garma claims DDS’ existence ‘common knowledge’ among cops

There were also several incidents of alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) discussed, like the killing of three Chinese nationals in 2016 supposedly carried out by two inmates tapped by police officers and the assassination of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board secretary Wesley Barayuga in July 2021.

Garma also admitted that a police officer she knew bragged about killing former Tanauan mayor Antonio Halili.

In the Chinese nationals’ case, confessed hitman Leopoldo Tan said a certain SPO4 Arthur Narsolis, his high school classmate, supposedly relayed to him the orders to kill the Chinese nationals.

Tan said he heard Bureau of Corrections S/Supt. Gerardo Padilla talked over the phone with Duterte, who congratulated the prison officials for a job well done.

Padilla initially denied having knowledge of the hit but eventually admitted that he indeed talked to Duterte who congratulated him.

READ: Duterte ordered killing of Chinese inmates, BuCor exec confirms