RUSSIA, CHINA BACK WAR VS DRUGS

PRESIDENTS Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jin Ping of China have thrown their support behind the administration’s war on drugs, President Rodrigo Duterte said late Saturday.

The two world leaders assured Duterte of their support backing during bilateral talks on the sidelines of the recently - eration (APEC) summit held in Danang, Vietnam.

“They (Putin and Xi) have extended - ism and [illegal] drugs. It’s easy to talk to them because they’re also suffering from the same drug scourge,” the President said. “I see a very bright future for our relationship. The most productive [bilateral meetings], by the way, was our talk with President Xi Jinping and President Putin.”

Duterte also disclosed that United States President Donald Trump, whom he met

raise the issue of drug-related extra-judicial killings in the country.

“Well, he (Trump) cannot afford it. We do not talk about these things and, second, we do not do it. I’m sure he will not take it up. He is not the [head of the] Human Rights Commission,” he said.

Local and international human rights organizations claim that 7,000 to 13,000 suspected drug personalities have been killed without charges or trial in the course of the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.

killed in police operations.

“Like I said before, you will have anywhere in the country where I ordered the killing of a man on bended knees, in surrender, or lying down,” Duterte added.

The President insisted that he is keeping his campaign promise to uphold law and order.

“During the campaign, I was asked, how would you deal with terrorists and drugs? I said, ‘harshly.’ And you can look for the meaning of the word harsh in the dictionary. That is my campaign promise. I will not, for the life of me, renege on that promise because I won on the basis of those promises,” Duterte said.