Policemen stand guard near the body of a man killed during what police said was a drug related vigilante killing in Pasig. Erik De Castro, Reuters

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday admitted that authorities gave money to police for legitimate drug buy-bust operations and not as payment to kill drug suspects.

“You know you have to give the police money, because if they go out and hunt for [those] trafficking drugs, there must be a selling and buying, otherwise there is no trafficking. Kaya yung sinasabi na binibigyan sila ng pera, I don’t deny that,” Duterte said in an ambush interview in Malacañang.

“Magtanong ka ng lahat ng army na pulis an dumaan ng Davao City, I give money every command conference. Ngayon kung meron silang buy-bust, manghingi ng pera iyan pambili, kasi kung wala kang pera, walang transaction sa shabu.”

Duterte, however, admitted that some unscrupulous cops ended up pocketing the money.

Duterte said this following retired police officer Arthur Lascañas’ claims that the longtime Davao City mayor paid members of the so-called Davao Death Squad for every killings.

Lascañas said the DDS initially started killing criminals in the city but was later used to go after Duterte’s political enemies.

Asked about Lascañas claims that many people were killed by the DDS during his more than 20-year reign as Davao City mayor, Duterte only repeated his usual statement that he only sanctioned the killings of drug suspects who turned violent in legitimate police operations.

“I did not deny that hundreds of criminals died in Davao City. Sa 23 years ko, talagang maubos,” he said.

“But you know, I’m an employee of the government. I built a city and I will build a nation. Hindi ko trabaho yang -- pero sa pulis upon my orders, just the same: don’t destroy my country, don’t deprive us of our young people [or] you will die. They are the same orders that I’m giving here.”