Philippine Senate's drug war probe turns into Rodrigo Duterte Show

Ex-president uses televised hearing to flex anew his political muscle, say analysts

- Mara Cepeda

MANILA - For nine hours on Oct 28, it appeared as though the irreverent Mr Rodrigo Duterte was back in the commander's seat.

The former Philippine president returned to the national spotlight for the first time since his six-year term ended in 2022, as he faced a Senate committee investigating the bloody drug war he waged that left thousands dead at the hands of police officers and vigilantes, often without proof they were linked to drugs.

Brash and unapologetic, as is his wont, Mr Duterte admitted at the hearing that during his term as president, he had ordered the police to encourage drug suspects to fight back so officers could justify killing them.

He said it was the same instructions he gave to his assembled "death squad" that targeted drug suspects during his 22 years as mayor of the southern city of Davao, before he became president in 2016. Mr Duterte has said in the past that he had patterned the "war on drugs" on the controversial anti-drugs campaign he first ran on his home turf.

"Do not question my policies because I offer no apologies, no excuses. I did what I had to do, and whether or not you believe it, I did it for my country," said Mr Duterte in an expletives-filled testimony that began at 10am.

To critics like respected human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, the former president made "damning" admissions that the International Criminal Court (ICC) can now use to beef up its ongoing crimes against humanity probe against Mr Duterte.