Duterte confesses: 'My only sin is the extrajudicial killings'

President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted for the first time to authorizing extrajudicial
killings as part of his war on drugs in the Philippines.

Duterte made the admission during a speech at the presidential palace on Thursday,
where he directly challenged anyone who criticized how he ran the country. “I told the military,
what is my fault? Did I steal even one peso?” said Duterte. “My only sin is the extrajudicial
killings.”

Duterte has previously addressed the existence of extra-judicial killings but has always
denied they were state-sponsored. This direct acknowledgment of his role in the deaths could
give further weight to the ongoing preliminary investigation by the international criminal court
(ICC) into the thousands of extrajudicial killings carried out as part of Duterte’s “war on drugs”.

In March, the ICC confirmed it was investigating allegations Duterte had committed
crimes against humanity in his brutal anti-drugs crusade, both as mayor of Davao and then as the
president over the past two years. In response, the president announced he was withdrawing the
Philippines from the Rome Statute, which gives the ICC jurisdiction to investigate the country.

According to official statistics, 4,500 people, mostly small-time drug dealers and addicts,
have been killed by the police in what have been described as “legitimate” anti-drug operations
since Duterte became president. However, the 77-page report submitted to the ICC alleged the
death toll was more than 8,000, with some rights groups estimating it is as high as 12,000.

Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said: “This admission should erase
any doubt about the culpability of the president.”

The president’s spokesman, Harry Roque, said on Friday morning that Duterte’s
comments had been “playful” and should “not be taken literally”.

Duterte also used the speech to emphasize he had no intention of ending his war on drugs
any time soon. “It will not end,” he said. “As I have said, I will put on the table my life, the
presidency. I can lose it any time. My honor.”

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extrajudicial-killings
 'War on drugs' makes Philippines fourth most dangerous country
Duterte’s violent anti-drugs operations are responsible for 75% of civilian deaths this year

President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of a “war on drugs” has made the Philippines the
fourth most dangerous place in the world for civilian-targeted violence, according to a report that
places the country behind conflict-ridden Yemen.

The report by the Armed

Conflict Location & Event Data
The government says there has been a 30% reduction in crime, but
Project (Acled) identifies India as the
claims of extrajudicial killings have persisted. Photograph: Aaron most dangerous country, with 1,385
Favila/AP violent events that targeted civilians.
Second place is Syria with 1,160,
followed by Yemen with 500, and the
Philippines with 345. It
supports comments made recently by
Michelle Bachelet, UN high
commissioner for human rights, who
voiced concerns over ongoing human
rights abuses in the Philippines and
the “extraordinarily high number of deaths – and persistent reports of extrajudicial killings – in
the context of campaigns against drug use”.

On Monday Amnesty accused Duterte of carrying out a “large-scale murdering

enterprise”, and said he should be investigated by the UN for crimes against humanity.

The confirmed death toll of suspects killed in anti-drugs operations currently stands at
5,425 since July 2016, something that Bachelet described as “a matter of most serious concern
for any country”.

“Acled’s findings are consistent with our findings and are an affirmation of the need for
the international community, the UN Human Rights Council and the International Criminal
Court to take action,” said Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher for Human Rights Watch.

The statistics reveal that efforts to clean up the Philippines have resulted in more than 450
direct anti-civilian violent attacks, causing 490 deaths since January 2019. The most targeted
regions are Central Luzon and CALABARZON, which accounted for 23% and 22% of fatalities,
respectively. The National Capital Region, which includes the capital Manila, reported 10% of
the fatalities.

Political officer at the Philippine embassy in London, Kristine Salle, dismissed the
claims, stating: “The suggestion that the Philippines is the fourth most dangerous country in the
world is not only unfair, but also false, considering that there are probably more dangerous
places in the world.”
 Statistics suggest that Duterte’s strategy may not be totally to blame for the country’s
fourth place ranking. The government is said to have carried out 60% of civilian-targeted events
since the start of 2019. Unidentified or anonymous armed groups are deemed responsible for
27% and anti-drug vigilantes for 8%.

But for the man who came to power vowing to clean up the nation’s troubles, Duterte’s
use of force in the “war on drugs” now appears to be building towards a legacy of political
violence. Statistics reveal that extrajudicial killings, to which Duterte has admitted giving
his “sinful” support , have continued year on year since his reign began in 2016 and continues to
rise in 2019 with two-thirds of all political violence focused against civilians.

In respect of targeted attacks, state forces continue to be the “primary perpetrators”, with
drug suspects accounting for almost 360 reported civilian deaths so far this year, 75% of the total
number.

The killing of 90 former and current government officials accounted for 18% of reported
fatalities in the same period, and the report claims that such victims tend to be targeted by
unidentified armed groups motivated by political rivalry. Twenty of these officials were labelled
as drug suspects. There was also a notable increase in attacks during May’s midterm elections
with members of political parties, leftist organizations, land activists, farmers, lawyers and
judges all targeted.

“The killings in the context of the ‘drug war’ are targeting the most vulnerable section of
the Philippines’ population – the urban poor, the most marginalized and voiceless people with
least access to justice and redress,” said Conte.

Responding to the Acled findings, Salle provided official statistics on the campaign
showing that from July 2016 to 30 April 2019, 129,500 anti-drug operations resulted in 1.3m
seizures, 185,401 arrests and 5,425 drug suspects killed during operations.

“The Philippine leadership is serious in ensuring zero tolerance for abuses and human
rights violations by state actors. The Philippine National Police’s (PNP) clear-up rate has
improved by 20% between 2015 and 2018. It is intensifying efforts to cleanse its ranks of erring
personnel,” said Salle, referring to 655 government workers arrested over corruption, including
305 government employees, 274 elected officials and 75 uniformed personnel.

All arrests relating to the campaign are subject to investigation, but where suspects have
been killed, she said, the PNP have conducted 4,583 investigations of which 3,619 have been
recommended for disciplinary proceedings hearings, 352 are undergoing pre-charge investigation
and 588 have been closed. The PNP have also reported that there are 14,724 complaints of
misconduct filed against PNP officers and personnel.

Stressing that the anti-drug campaign had “significantly improved” the peace and
stability of the Philippines, Salle said the strategy had reduced crime by 30% since Duterte came
to power, making streets and communities safer. To improve transparency, the government
publishes results on social media with the hashtag #RealNumbersPH.
 “The Philippines has a long tradition of human rights and is a signatory to eight core
human rights treaties. It has therefore committed to respect, protect, and fulfil its human rights
treaty obligations,” she said.

“The anti-drug campaign has a strong public health dimension, which has prioritized
community health services supported by investment of $120m (£95m), to be used for prevention,
education, early detection, intervention, voluntary treatment and rehabilitation.

“It is unfortunate that the development and human rights-oriented dimensions of the
campaign have been overlooked by media coverage which has been overly focused on the law
enforcement aspects and a number of sensational cases,” said Salle.

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fourth-most-dangerous-country-report