TOKYO — President Rodrigo Duterte said he does not care about how many people have died in his administration’s brutal war against illegal drugs and reiterated Thursday his warning to criminals not to “destroy my country.”
Speaking before Filipinos working and living in Japan, Duterte exclaimed: “I don’t care kung ilan kayo diyang namatay, just don’t fuck with me on drugs.”
Duterte then proclaimed his oft-repeated notice to criminals that, “I will kill you,” if they ruin the Philippines with their illegal ways.
The President claimed in his speech that the drug problem in the Philippines has declined. He, however, did not provide details as to the basis of his statement.
“Ang droga pababa na. Pero meron pa ring nagtatapon,” he said.
Duterte had earlier claimed that there are 7 to 8 million Filipino drug users nationwide, double the figure of his earlier statements that there were 3 to 4 million addicts in the country.
Duterte’s drug war, launched since he assumed office on June 30, 2016, has gained global condemnation for alleged extrajudicial killings and human rights violations.
Government data showed more than 5,000 people have already been killed under the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda, Mike U.Frialde)