Drug suspects killed in anti-drugs ops at 5,104 —PDEA

Drug personalities who died during the government's operations against drugs have already totaled to 5,104 from July 1, 2016 up to December 31, 2018, data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency show.

According to recent figures by the government's #RealNumbersPH report, 167,135 people have been arrested in the 117,385 operations conducted throughout the whole country during the spot period.

In December 2018 alone, 54 drug personalities were killed while 2,870 were arrested in 1,950 operations.

Meanwhile, there were also a total of 271 dismantled dens and 14 clandestine laboratories.

PDEA also recorded that the value of drugs, Controlled Precursors and Essential Chemicals (CPECs) and laboratory equipment seized during the war on drugs has already reached P25.62 billion, where P436.41 million was seized in December 2018 alone.

Human rights advocates were critical of the President's anti-drugs campaign, with the Human Rights Watch saying that the human rights crisis in the Philippines "deepened" in 2018 under Duterte's term.

The group took particular note of Duterte's announcement that the country would withdraw from the International Criminal Court in March in response to the court's move to open up a probe into the killings related to the administration's drug war.

In its defense, Malacañang said the Philippine government is “fed up” with the supposed practice by detractors of using the UN as a platform to “parrot baseless criticisms of local interest groups who are supported by resentful politicians belonging to the opposition.” —Jamil Santos/LBG, GMA News