MANILA: More than 100 drug suspects have been killed since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the police to rejoin his “war on drugs,” an official said Saturday.
Duterte was elected in 2016 on a promise to eradicate drugs, and launched an unprecedented campaign in which — rights activists allege — as many as 12,000 people have been killed.
Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao confirmed that 102 drug suspects were killed by police between December 5 — when Duterte ordered the force to rejoin the drug war — and March 1.
In October last year, the president had announced that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would replace the police in counter-narcotics operations following mounting public opposition, including rare street protests.
But Duterte, 72, also repeatedly said the anti-drug agency, with only around 2,000 officers, would not be able to effectively conduct the crackdown.
He eventually ordered the police back into the anti-drug campaign without any major reform of the force.
Bulalacao could not give comparative figures for the death toll before December 5, but according to figures released separately by the government, 4,021 “drug personalities” were killed between June 2016 — when Duterte took office — and February 8 this year.
Activists allege that around 12,000 people have been killed in the drug war, many of them by shadowy vigilantes, and warn that the fiery president may be carrying out a crime against humanity.
In early February, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court said she had opened a “preliminary examination” into the alleged abuses.
In recent weeks, the Philippine government has said it is willing to let a UN Special Rapporteur into the country to look into the accusations.
But the foreign secretary has called for fairness in the investigation, and Duterte has told police and the military to not cooperate with the rapporteur.
“If they ask you about wrongdoing, do not answer. And if they ask you why, tell them: we have a commander in chief,” Duterte told police and soldiers on Thursday.
Asked about this remark, Bulalacao said that if international investigators approach the police, “we shall refer this matter to the higher authorities.”
More than 100 killed since Philippine police returned to Duterte’s drug war
More than 100 killed since Philippine police returned to Duterte’s drug war
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Senator Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television,” adding: "This is dangerous… because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing.”
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists… I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, [is] step forward and say, ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
Graham's remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsay Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
