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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
February 24, 2026 | 9:11pm
MANILA, Philippines — Police killings rose drastically during former president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, with prosecutors saying they spiked by 590% when the Davao strongman assumed power in 2016.
The ICC prosecution continued to mount its case against Duterte for crimes against humanity during the second day of confirmation of charges on Tuesday, February 24.
ICC trial lawyer Robynne Croft attempted to establish the elements of crimes against humanity, showing that the drug war killings were systemic and widespread.
Croft said that at least 274 killings were confirmed when Duterte was mayor of Davao, with the number increasing once he became president. While government figures ranged from 3,000 to 5,000, human rights groups estimate the actual count could be three times higher.
Citing an expert on Philippine politics, the police killings under the first 25 months of Duterte’s presidency rose by 590%.
In Bulacan alone, the killings rose by 1,600%.
The expert cited by the prosecution also compared police killings in Bulacan with other countries and cities worldwide. On the metric of police killings per 100,000 population, Bulacan alone from 2016 to 2018 vastly surpassed the entire country of India.
“The expert concluded that ‘the only plausible explanation for such an extreme ratio is a widespread policy of extrajudicial killings’,” Croft said.
She added that Duterte took the Davao formula of extrajudicial killings and applied it on a national scale, with many of his allies from the region being promoted to national positions and aiding him in implementing the plan.
The prosecution again made use of Duterte’s many prior speeches where he told police to kill, promising them protection and rewards.
