Duterte says ‘police corrupt to core’

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday described the police force prosecuting his deadly crime war as “corrupt to the core”, but extended the crackdown until the last day of his term in 2022.

Duterte announced he intended to “cleanse” the police force, after a series of scandals in which officers were caught committing murder, extortion and robbery while using the drug war as cover.

“You policemen are the most corrupt. You are corrupt to the core. It’s in your system,” Duterte told reporters as he railed against the anti-drug officers who allegedly masterminded the murder of a South Korean businessman inside national police headquarters.

Duterte said nearly 40% of the police force engaged in illegal activities.

His comments came seven months after he took office and immediately tasked police with being the frontline troops in his plans to wipe out the illegal drug trade that he said was threatening to turn the Philippines into a narco state.

Since then, police have reported shooting dead more than 2,500 people they have accused of being drug suspects, alleging on every occasion they had to open fire in self defence.

Human rights groups and relatives of some of the victims have alleged police frequently shoot dead defenceless people, and often plant drugs and a gun on the bullet-riddled corpse.

Nearly 4,000 other people have died in unexplained circumstances in the crackdown, according to official figures.

Duterte initially vowed to eliminate the illegal drug trade in three to six months but extended the time frame of the drug war until March of this year, but yesterday he said there would be no end while he was in power.

“I will extend it to the last day of my term,” Duterte said.

“March no longer applies.” – AFP