WATCH: After initial denial, Duterte admits DDS exists

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday acknowledged the existence of the Davao Death Squad, but denied he formed or led the group reportedly behind extrajudicial killings in Davao City in past years.

"It was organized to combat yung SPARU (Special Partisan Unit) noon sa Davao," Duterte said in a speech at Malacañang on March 8.

Duterte claimed that the group was formed during the years of Martial Law. Late dictator Ferdinand Marcos oversaw more than a decade of martial rule.

At least two self-confessed members of the Davao Death Squad have said, however, that the group was formed in the late 1988—past Martial Law years—by Duterte himself.

Duterte denied the claims, but in May 2015, he also denied the existence of the execution team.

"Walang DDS diyan. Davao Development System 'yan that is my guiding principle. Ako 'yung DDS—Davao Development System—hindi 'yung Davao, ano nga 'yun? Davao Death Squad," Duterte said a month before he was installed president. — Video report by Efigenio Toledo IV; Text by Kristian Javier