MANILA: Former Senator Leila De Lima has reiterated claims that ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial drug war was modeled after the Davao Death Squad (DDS), a vigilante group known for its extrajudicial killings in Davao City. During a House quad committee investigation into killings linked to Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, De Lima alleged that the reward system for killings in Davao City during Duterte’s tenure as mayor was scaled up nationwide during his presidency, with dire consequences.
According to Philippines News Agency, De Lima highlighted that the DDS operated in two distinct periods: from 1988 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2016. She described how assassins, consisting of rebel returnees and police officers, were financially incentivized for each killing, with payments split among police handlers and the hitmen. De Lima alleged that Duterte was directly involved, sometimes personally issuing orders and rewards.
The former senator argued that the DDS structure was replicated on a national scale d
uring Duterte’s presidency, with trusted police officers from Davao, including then-PNP chief Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, appointed to key positions in major cities to lead the campaign. Barangay officials were reportedly tasked with identifying drug offenders who were then targeted by death squads and official operations.
De Lima stressed the importance of the 2009 Commission on Human Rights (CHR) investigation into the DDS, which she led as CHR chair. The investigation illuminated the organized nature of the DDS and its funding mechanisms, relying on intelligence funds for logistics and rewards. The findings were corroborated by former DDS members Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascañas, who provided testimony on the group’s operations.
Lascañas, in particular, submitted an affidavit to the International Criminal Court, identifying Duterte as the leader of the DDS and detailing its financial operations. De Lima cited Lascañas’ affidavit, which revealed large financial rewards for high-profile killings and the ex
istence of mass graves for victims.
In her testimony, De Lima also referenced an affidavit from former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Royina Garma that supported the claim of a reward system. De Lima called on legislators to consider the evidence from the CHR investigation and the testimonies of Matobato and Lascañas to seek accountability for the extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s drug war.