President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that “thousands” were killed in the anti-illegal drugs campaign of Davao City that lasted two decades. The former Davao City mayor however clarified that those who died were killed in legitimate police operations. Retired police officer Arturo Lascañas earlier claimed that Duterte ordered members of the DDS, including him to kill drug suspects. They accused Duterte of ordering the killing of Jun Pala, a hard-hitting critic of the former Davao City mayor. But Duterte reiterated his claim that extrajudicial killings, even in Davao City when he was mayor, were due to “rivalries” among criminal and drug syndicates.

Source: Manila Times February 25, 2017 17:05 UTC