PNP: No reason to worry about Duterte’s ‘relentless and chilling’ drug war remark

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Senior Superintendent Benigno Durana Jr. on Tuesday waved off fears over President Rodrigo Duterte's vow that the war on illegal drugs will be as "relentless and chilling" as the day it began.

“There is no reason to express apprehension over the renewed ‘relentless and chilling’ continuation of the anti-illegal drugs campaign. We take it to mean that our operations must be without let-up to effectively establish the ‘certainty of punishment’ to the drug syndicates, its patrons, protectors and criminal support systems that sustain the drug trade," he said in a statement.

Durana added that it would not be a good idea to put the drug war on hold at its "climax," saying that they have achieved "encouraging results" in the two years they've been conducting anti-drug operations.

"We have achieved encouraging results in the overall anti-crime campaign by striking at the root cause of the problem which is illegal drugs. It is not a good strategic move to lay low on the anti-illegal drugs campaign while it is at its climax," he said.

During his third State of the Nation Address, Duterte said his centerpiece campaign against illegal drugs, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Filipinos, is "far from over.”

“The illegal drugs war will not be sidelined. Instead it will be as relentless and chilling, if you will, as on the day it began,” Duterte said.

Durana said that a recent public opinion poll found that 69 percent consider the government's war on drugs the "most important achievement" of the Duterte administration.

"This popular opinion validates another earlier survey that found 88% or 8 out of 10 Filipinos expressing approval [of] the government’s war on drugs,” he said.

Government data estimates that 4,354 suspects have been killed in anti-drug operations conducted from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2018.

Critics and human rights watchdogs, however, say that the number of dead is even higher. — Jessica Bartolome/BM, GMA News