Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday ordered the country’s police to disband their anti-drug units after rogue officers killed a South Korean businessman, The Guardian reported. The move has effectively put the country’s war against drugs on hold, with Duterte promising to change the way police forces operate.
Duterte, who apologised to the South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines for Jee Ick-joo’s murder, said he was “embarrassed” by anti-drug officers abusing their powers. “Cleanse your ranks...give me a list of who the scalawags are,” he said at a press conference, according to CNN. He also gave the suspects in the murder 48 hours to surrender and threatened to put a 5-million peso (approximately Rs 68.23 lakh) bounty on them if they hand themselves over to officials.
Meanwhile, national police chief Ronald dela Rosa said it was necessary to disband the anti-drug units to rebuild them. “I will do my job to the best of my ability,” he said. “I hope I will not fail the president and the Filipino people.” However, he added that the disbanding could affect the anti-narcotics campaign in the country.
More than 7,000 people have been killed since the national campaign began after Duterte took office on June 30, 2016. On December 12, the president reportedly told businessmen that he murdered suspects to “show the guys [the police] that if I can do it, why can’t you?”. “I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill,” he said. Earlier in 2015, he had said that he had killed at least three men suspected of kidnapping and rape in Davao.
On December 23, it was reported that the Philippines Commission on Human Rights would investigate claims that the president killed criminals while serving as mayor of the city of Davao. The Commission said it would also probe reports claiming that “death squads” killed several hundred people in the city.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!