Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s admission he had a death squad when he was mayor of Davao City could have legal repercussions, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said Wednesday.

In a virtual presser, Dela Rosa said Duterte’s acknowledgment he employed “gangsters” in the death squad to kill suspected criminals made during Monday’s Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee hearing may be used in cases against him.

“That can be used against him, especially since he spoke under oath, right? It’s up to him how he’s going to defend himself, especially since he even challenged the investigating committee to file cases against him,” he said.

Walking with a cane, Duterte appeared before the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee investigation on the war on drugs, which was heavily attended by his allies in the upper chamber.

During the nine-hour hearing, Duterte confirmed the existence of a death squad composed of “gangsters” when he was Davao City mayor. He said the team was not composed of police officers but of wealthy businessmen who liked killing criminals.

The former president made the remarks when asked about the Davao Death Squad, a vigilante group that was believed to be executing criminals in his bailiwick on his orders.

Dela Rosa, who was chief of the Philippine National Police from 2016 to 2018 and spearheaded the Duterte administration’s controversial “Oplan Tokhang,” also clarified Duterte’s remarks about former PNP chiefs being part of the Davao Death Squad.

“One hundred and one percent, I deny it because I know he was just joking,” he told reporters.

Duterte said at the Senate that PNP chiefs who served during his administration had been part of the Davao Death Squad.

He referred particularly to the PNP officers who were present — retired police generals Debold Sinas, Vicente Danao and Archie Francisco Gamboa.

Nobody can control him

Asked if he would advise Duterte to tone down his words to avoid incriminating himself, Dela Rosa said he would rather not as the former chief executive was a lawyer himself.

“That’s just how he speaks. After six years as president, that’s really his personality. Nobody can control him, no matter what you tell him,” Dela Rosa said.

Duterte, during the Senate hearing, also admitted to advising policemen to encourage suspects to resist arrest to justify their killing.

Based on government data, at least 7,000 persons were killed under Duterte’s drug war. However, both local and international human rights groups disagreed with the figures, saying the actual number could be as high as 30,000.