MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte says he once ordered a “discreet” probe into the alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) being blamed on his administration because he was bothered by the issue. ADVERTISEMENTThe probe revealed that the killings were not state-sponsored but stemmed from conflicts between rival drug syndicates, Duterte said in his prerecorded address that was aired Monday night. Duterte’s made these statements after criticizing the opposition and leftists for harping on accusations against his administration — including the issue of EJKs. Eventually, Duterte acknowledged the possibility of some police officers being involved in a drug recycling scheme, in which confiscated substances, like crystal meth, were sold. ADVERTISEMENTFinally, Duterte said he would want all seized crystal meth, no matter how small the amount, to be destroyed by next week.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 05, 2020 17:45 UTC