Philippine News Agency
Bato admits testimonies made by Duterte in Senate are incriminating
Former President Rodrigo Duterte admitted under oath that he instructed police to "encourage" suspects to fight back to justify their killing, a tactic he explained as a way to avoid legal repercussions based on his experience as a criminal law instructor.
Duterte also claimed to have maintained a personal death squad composed of "gangsters," not policemen.
He expressed surprise that the Department of Justice has not yet filed a case against him despite his long-standing admissions of "killing people."
Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa acknowledged that Duterte's admissions, made under oath, could be used against him in potential cases.
Dela Rosa clarified that Duterte's earlier statement about him being a former commander of the "Davao Death Squad" was a joke.
The senator agreed that the testimonies given by Duterte during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on his war on drugs can be used against him.
Topics in this story
Explore more stories about these topics.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte stated he takes full legal and moral responsibility for his administration's bloody war on drugs but denied that killing was a policy.
+3
Read more →
Former President Rodrigo Duterte admitted to forming a seven-man "hit squad" composed of gangsters in Davao City during his time as mayor.
Read more →
Senator Bato Dela Rosa confirmed that former President Rodrigo Duterte will attend the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on October 28 concerning the war on drugs.
Read more →
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III stated that former President Rodrigo Duterte's attendance at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee probe into the drug war on October 28 is now unsure, contradicting earlier assurances from Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa.
+4
Read more →
Lawmakers believe former President Rodrigo Duterte's admission of taking responsibility for the drug war can be used as grounds to file cases against him.
Read more →