Prosecution, defense trade allegations at confirmation hearing of Duterte raps

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) alleged that killings carried out by the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s mayoral tenure required his personal approval before they could proceed.

- By ARGYLL CYRUS GEDUCOS and BETHEENA UNITE

However, Duterte’s lead defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman alleged that President Marcos was “set out to neutralize” his predecessor and his legacy.

“So it is indeed the defense case that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. set out to neutralize Rodrigo Duterte and his legacy,” Kaufman claimed on the first day of the confirmation of charges hearing.

During the third and final session of the first day of the confirmation of charges hearing, ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Julian Nicholls told Pre-Trial Chamber I that multiple witnesses testified that Duterte’s “clearance” was necessary before any killing operation was conducted.

“His clearance, his approval, was required—his permission was required—for DDS members to conduct these murders,” Nicholls said Monday evening, Feb. 23 (Manila time). “Several witnesses confirm that.”

‘Only one person was making the decisions’

Nicholls cited statements attributed to alleged DDS members describing how they supposedly sought authorization from Duterte before carrying out operations.

“Only one person was making the decisions. [...] you had to ask Duterte because if we didn’t make that request, if we didn’t ask for [...] authorization, we would be chased or we would be pursued,” one witness statement read.

Another statement quoted in court said: “We cannot conduct a clearing ... or killing operations without his clearance. We called it clearance.”

A separate account presented by the prosecution stated: “[Y]ou cannot just kill anyone in Davao City without Duterte’s approval, otherwise you will be charged.”

Nicholls also cited a claim that alleged perpetrators received financial rewards.

“[E]very kill, the first reward money, to my recall, it was P10,000 per kill,” a witness statement read.

Alleged DDS structure