Dela Rosa: Duterte's admissions could incriminate him

Former President Rodrigo Duterte's admissions during a Senate probe into the drug war could be used against him in legal cases, Senator Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa acknowledged on Wednesday.

Dela Rosa noted that Duterte repeatedly admitted to the existence of the so-called 'Davao Death Squad' (DDS) and ordered cops to provoke crime suspects to fight back so authorities could kill them.

During the hearing, Duterte urged relevant agencies to probe him and file cases if necessary, while Dela Rosa defended his controversial 'shit happens' remark by clarifying that it referred only to a specific incident involving the death of three-year-old Myca Ulpina in 2019.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is already investigating Duterte and other top officials of his administration for alleged crimes against humanity related to drug war deaths.

Dela Rosa, who served as Philippine National Police chief under Duterte, admitted that the former president does not listen to his advice and usually sticks to his own decisions.

Despite criticism, Dela Rosa and Senator Bong Go, both close allies of Duterte, will continue participating in the Senate probe for the sake of truth.