Photo: MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images
Former president Rodrigo Duterte testified before the Philippine Senate on October 28 as a part of an inquiry into his administration’s deadly war on drugs. The Senate’s inquiry parallels a separate investigation by the International Criminal Court, which is assessing whether extrajudicial killings during Duterte's war on drugs amounted to a “crime against humanity.” While police claim that over 6,000 drug suspects were killed during Duterte’s time in office, human rights organizations suspect the death toll is double that figure.
During his testimony before the Senate, Duterte adamantly defended his war on drugs. He asked for the Senate to not question his policies as he offered “no apologies, no excuses” for the crackdown. The former president went so far as to admit to hiring a “death squad” during his time as mayor of Davao, which consisted of seven alleged gang members. Duterte refused to provide further elaboration and the Philippine National Police announced that it will investigate the “death squad.”
Regarding his time as president, Duterte took full responsibility for the drug-related killings. He notably emphasized that he never ordered his national police chiefs to take part in the killings, which was later confirmed by former national police chief and current senator Ronald dela Rosa. But despite not ordering his officers to kill suspects directly, Duterte admitted to telling police officers to encourage suspects to fight back so that the officers could justify killings as self-defense.
Duterte’s testimony was also the first time he directly faced some of his accusers. Family members of victims killed during his presidency testified, citing the atrocities enacted upon their kin. Despite those testimonies, Duterte did not issue any apologies for his war on drugs.
The Senate mainly approached Duterte’s testimony passively. Three of the senators, including Senator dela Rosa, defended Duterte’s war on drugs, with only Senator Risa Hontiveros actively challenging the former president. Senators are likely safeguarding their own interests ahead of midterm polls in May 2025, when Duterte intends to run for mayor of Davao. With many senators seeking re-election, they are aware that Duterte still enjoys political power throughout the Philippines. Above all, Duterte emphasized that, if allowed to return as mayor of Davao, he “[would] do it all over again.”
Lauren Mai is a Program Coordinator and Research Assistant for the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.
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