Duterte asks for six-month extension on crime, drugs deadline 

President Rodrigo Duterte said he needs an extension of another six months on his self-imposed deadline of three to six months to solve the crime and drugs problem in the Philippines.

In a press conference Sunday evening in Davao City, where he met the freed Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad, Duterte said, “I cannot tell you now, but we are trying our very best to put order in this country. We are wrapped with so many problems—kidnapping in the south, terrorism, drugs which is really pulling us down. I can say that we would need time to put everything in order.”

Duterte said he did not realize how severe the drug problem is in the country until he was elected President.

He added that the war on drugs had exposed so many people involved in the business of illegal drugs, it was like pressing “worms out of a can.”

According to authorities, some 700,000 drug users and pushers have turned themselves in to the police since Duterte took office.

“No one could believe that there would be about 700,000 new guys involved in the drug business who have surrendered to the police and military," he said.

Duterte added, "The problem is, I cannot kill them all. Even if I wanted to. That was what I said. Even if I wanted to, I cannot kill them all... There is narco-politics on the lowest government unit, and that will be the start of our agony."

In the end, Duterte asked for another six months to combat the problem of illegal drugs in the country.

According to him, “Just a give me a little extension, maybe another six months."

President Duterte: Just give me a little extension of another 6 months [to solve drug problem in the country].

— GMA News Breaking (@gmanewsbreaking) September 18, 2016

"I didn't have an idea that there are hundreds of thousands of people already in the drug business. What makes it worse is they are cooperated now by people in government, especially those in elected positions. So, it will be government versus government," he added.

On the campaign trail earlier in the year, the former Davao City mayor claimed that he would end crime and corruption in the country within three to six months of his election with the help of the police and the military. — Bianca Rose Dabu/BM/DVM, GMA News