Philippine President Duterte to recall police to drug war
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he has to recall police to the country’s war on drugs amid reports that sidelining the 160,000-strong force has allowed drug trade to emerge out of shadows.
"So, I need more men. I have to call back the police again to do the job most of the time on drugs, not everyone," Duterte told reporters in Manila on Tuesday, nearly a month after he decided to suspend the contribution of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from the anti-drug campaign over repeated allegations of corruption.
Duterte's government has been engaged in an all-out war on drugs since he took office eight months ago.
Some 7,700 people have been killed during the campaign. More than 2,500 of the people lost their lives after resisting arrest.
Rights groups have criticized the bloody campaign, saying security forces or volunteers have carried out extrajudicial killings during the operations.
Manila strongly rejects the allegations while Duterte continues to defend his signature campaign.
On January 30, Duterte said the PNP was "corrupt to the core." The president decided to remove the police from the campaign.
The decision came after reports emerged, saying that rogue officers of the PNP's drug unit had kidnapped and killed a South Korean businessman at the PNP headquarters in the capital.
Many thought the criticism about the campaign and the suspension of the police's contribution would persuade Duterte to tune down his rhetoric on drugs and downsize the merciless drive.
However, he said on Tuesday that he needed more manpower to sustain the crackdown and that the Philippines was increasingly beset by security and law enforcement challenges.
Interviews carried out with drug users and dealers in Manila also show that the suspension last month of the police role gave a new momentum to those involved in the illegal trade.
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