President Duterte Admits Personally Killing Criminal Suspects

Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte admitted to personally killing criminal suspects while mayor of Davao at a dinner for business leaders on Monday, December 12.

“In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys [police] that if I can do it why can’t you?” he said. “And I’d go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also…I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill,” said Duterte in a speech to the Wallace Business Forum at the Malacanang Palace in Manila.

Duterte built a reputation for being tough on crime in the two decades he served as the mayor of the southern Philippines city but critics, including Human Rights Watch have questioned his public support for death squads that targeted suspected drug users and criminals. At least 6,000 people have been killed in police operations and vigilante attacks since Duterte launched his war on drug users and dealers since taking office in May.

Duterte also discussed his use of the powerful painkiller Fentanyl for back pain and warnings from his doctor that he had been abusing the opioid medication, which is normally only prescribed to cancer patients. Credit: YouTube/RTVMalacanang via Storyful