Crackdown on cops aiding drug syndicates
MANILA: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday promised rewards running to tens of thousands of dollars for information leading to the capture of police officers protecting drug syndicates and warned corrupt officials they would face “a day of reckoning”.
In a National Heroes Day speech, Duterte said there would be no let-up in a “war on drugs” in which – according to police figures – more than 1 900 people have been killed since he came to power two months ago. Police say the toll of about 36 people a day is a result of drug dealers resisting arrest or gang feuds.
Duterte railed against critics who have complained that the poor who trade drugs to make a living are being targeted by the police. – Reuters