A husband and wife death squad claim their vigilante gang have killed upwards of 800 people in the Philippines' brutal war on drugs .

Assassins Ace and Sheila, who are part of a prolific hit team, have defended their roles in the bloodbath and say they turned to a life of murder so their children wouldn't starve.

The parents say they earn $100 for every kill and are doing critical work because "many lives will be ruined" if a dealer isn't executed.

More than 4,000 alleged users and dealers - and an untold number of innocent victims - have been killed after new President Rodrigo "The Punisher" Duterte won power and promised a crackdown on drugs-related crime.