REALITY CHECK: Rodrigo Duterte oversaw the policy of extrajudicial killings
Claim: “The claim that I oversaw a policy of extra-judicial killings is an outrageous lie,” Rodrigo Duterte wrote in a letter, waiving his right to participate in the confirmation of charges hearing of the International Criminal Court which will begin on February 23, 2026.
Rating: False.
Context: Rodrigo Duterte himself ordered the killings several times before, during, and after his Presidential term.
Even before he assumed the presidency in July 2016, Duterte warned the public that his war against crime will result in thousands of bodies.
In Davao where he celebrated his victory in 2016, Duterte told the public, “If he fights back, you can kill him,” referring to drug pushers and users in the Philippines. “Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun. You have my support.”
The United Nations (UN) expert on extrajudicial killings Agnes Callamard said that Duterte allowed widespread violence by giving state forces the “license to kill.” Duterte did not take it lightly, even threatening to withdraw from the UN.
The 2018 report of Commission on Human Rights (CHR) traced the Philippine National Police’s Oplan-Double Barrel (Tokhang) as a nationwide policy ordered by Duterte. The CHR also reported that it started in Davao where Duterte served as mayor for more than two decades.
Since the beginning of Duterte’s term, human rights groups had been counting the deaths every day, reaching more than 30,000 at the end of his term. Official government data only reported around 6,000 victims. Majority of the victims come from the urban poor communities.
Duterte did not only target those involved in drugs. He ordered to “kill” all communist rebels in the country in 2021. “Finish them off if they are alive,” he said. “Forget about human rights. That’s my order. I’m willing to go to jail, that’s not a problem.”
His kill orders did not stop during his administration. In 2024, the Senate blue ribbon committee invited Duterte as a resource person.
Duterte said in Filipino, “Let’s be straightforward: encourage the criminals to fight, encourage them to draw their guns. That’s my instruction—encourage them to resist; if they resist, kill them to put an end to the problems in my city.”
Royina Garma, who served as Cebu City police chief under his term and formerly the general manager of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, detailed the implementation of the brutal campaign through the so-called Davao model.
“First is the reward if the suspect is killed. Second is the funding of planned operations. Third is the refund of operational expenses,” Garma said at the House of Representatives’ quad committee hearing in 2024.
The response or decision on Duterte’s letter will be determined by the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s judges in a public decision. But the Rule 124 of the Rome Statute allows the confirmation of charges hearing to push through even in the absence of the suspect when they waived their right to be present. (DAA)
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