Phill News Entertainment – Phill News
MANILA, Philippines — In the Tuesday Senate probe of the war on drugs Lt. Gen. Sen. Bato de la Rosa said that President Duterte admitted to having a death squad in Davao City. During a clash with opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Duterte was asked if he was involved in the death squad, to which he said “Yes ma’am, you are correct.” However, he said that the members of the Philippine National Police do not form the death squad. Duterte seems hell-bent on claiming responsibility for the war on drugs. The agency had a structural framework of a death squad, based on the utterances of Duterte. When Duterte was asked whether there were seven people in the death squad he did not reply and joked that they most likely are all dead now. The former president, a veteran mayor in Davao City, said he could not recall the individuals, even if he is pressed on the matter, he is too old for that. He also explained that the alleged death squad did not have any rewards in contrast to former PCSO general manager and CIDG officer Royina Garma who said that there is a reward system for killing drug-related personalities. Two weeks ago, retired police colonel Edilberto Leonardo backed Garma’s testimony at the House Quadricommittee Hearing regarding the existence of a rewards system that was implemented nationally. In the Monday hearing though, Duterte moved on to say that the death squad was composed of wealthy civilians who wanted to undertake the killing of criminals. Earlier in the hearing, Duterte also said that he prompted police to provoke suspects so that they could react – this helped Duterte give police a reason to kill them.
Provocation, kill order.
Duterte said it was Hontiveros’s point of view and underscored how such an order would leave such a foul impression. He said he also attempted to order police generals to kill someone but they refused and ‘wanted to lock suspects up instead of that.’ “I tried. Duterte said he tried Ako mismo.” It appears that the former president is back to making strong statements on abhorrent illegal drugs and abhorrent criminality as real problems for the nation. He called the Philippine National Police chiefs who were heard as heads of their death squads. But he said this was a loose term used.
