MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he will not pardon the three policemen convicted for the murder of teenager Kian Delos Santos.

• 3 cops found guilty of murder over Kian Delos Santos slay

Duterte told reporters that he will only help law enforcers charged with crimes while performing their duties and not those who violate the law.

“No, of course not. Maybe 1 million years from now,” Duterte said when asked whether he would pardon the convicted cops.

“Look, ang sinabi ko, I will defend to death my soldier and my policemen if they commit some acts which can be considered criminal but done in the performance of their duties. Hindi ko iiwanan iyan kasi kung hindi, papatayin ako ng mga sundalo ko pati pulis kasi ako ang nag-utos sa kanila ng ganon,” he said.

“Pero for you to murder, hindi kasali iyan. There’s only one way that it can happen, that you are in the performance of your duty, then there is an event there that’s happening and your life is in danger then you can kill your opponent.”

Delos Santos was shot dead during an August 2017 anti-illegal drug sweep in an impoverished neighborhood in Caloocan, a city which has seen a number of drug-related killings since Duterte took office.

Witnesses claimed they saw some policemen hand Delos Santos a gun and told the teenager to run before firing shots at him to make it look like he was killed by the cops in self-defense.

Autopsy results showed that Delos Santos sustained fatal gunshot wounds to the head while he was already on the ground kneeling and turning away from police. Delos Santos' family also denied allegations that he served as a drug runner.

Delos Santos’ death has served as a litmus test for Duterte’s war on drugs, a controversial campaign that has drawn condemnation since around 5,000 drug suspects have been killed supposedly in self-defense during police operations.

After the teenager’s death, Duterte, under intense public criticism, transferred the leadership of his war on drugs to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency from the Philippine National Police.

A lawyer has filed an information before the International Criminal Court asking it to prosecute Duterte for crimes against humanity over the deaths linked to his war on drugs.

But the Palace said the conviction of the cops in the Delos Santos case debunks “the idea that ICC has jurisdiction [over Duterte] because this country does not have the capability of prosecuting criminals.”

Human Rights Watch lauded the conviction, saying it was "a triumph of justice and accountability and a warning to members of the Philippine National Police to respect due process and the rights of civilians as they do their job.”

But the group said it was worried “because Duterte has promised to pardon police officers convicted in the ‘drug war’ killings.”

• Duterte vows plenty of pardons for cops in drug war

"There is reason to suspect that he will keep that promise. This is why it remains important that the government create an independent commission to investigate these killings," said Brad Adams, HRW Asia Director.

"The police said that it has killed 5,000 during its anti-drug operations – that’s a lot of deaths that need to be thoroughly and independently investigated. This also underscores the need for the International Criminal Court to take further action on the complaints against Duterte."