Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency
The Duterte administration’s “war against illegal drugs” thus far is one among many controversial issues that has received a great deal of media attention both, locally and internationally and has earned extra attention in foreign policy circles and among local and international human rights organisations. The elimination of the drug problem in the country is one of Duterte’s campaign promises from the 2016 national elections.
In the Philippines, the life expectancy of mayors and their deputies can be very short. A recent spate of public assassinations of local officials in broad daylight brought the spotlight back on political killings in the country, now dubbed the “murder capital of Asia” by opposition senator Antonio Trillanes.Five local officials were shot to death in six days, from 2 to 7 July, in a mix of political and drug war-related killings.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has offered to shoot criminals himself, while warning he may bring police back to the frontlines of his deadly war on drugs.Duterte made the comments late Friday following his announcement on October 11 to withdraw the police from his anti-drug war after they were accused of rights abuses in killing thousands of people while following his orders to eradicate illegal drugs in society.He replaced them with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which
