"And little did I realize that the very agency that I was relying on to protect us from the smuggling of drugs from abroad, was the one importing the drugs."

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday (Aug 16) urged police to kill dozens of drug suspects every day, as he praised officers who shot dead 32 people this week in "shock and awe" raids.Duterte's incendiary comments came as he acknowledged major problems in his drug war, which has claimed thousands of lives, admitting he could not win it as quickly as promised and lamenting a corrupt police force.In one of the deadliest operations of the war, police reported killing 32 people in raids on Monday on suspected drug traffickers in Bulacan province, which neighbors the capital of Manila.Earlier in the day Bulacan police chief Romeo Caramat held a press conference in Manila to publicise the raids, in which 109 suspects were also arrested."We wanted to shock and awe these drug personalities," Caramat said. "Other drug personalities will think twice before continuing with their drug trade."Caramat insisted the police had killed the suspects in self defense,"We know we have done nothing wrong," Caramat said. He later told AFP that no police had been killed or wounded.When asked how it was possible there had been no police wounded if the raiding officers had been acting in self defense, Caramat said: "Don't ask me to explain".Duterte said last year he would be "happy to slaughter" three million addicts.Rights groups say such statements are incitements to kill, and Duterte may be orchestrating a crime against humanity.Duterte easily won last year's presidential election largely on a vow to kill tens of thousands of drug traffickers and addicts, which he said was necessary to stop the country's slide to narco-state status.He also promised during the campaign he would win his drug war in three to six months, a vow that resonated with voters fed up with high crime rates and corrupt politicians.However Duterte, who is limited by the constitution to serving a single term of six years, has conceded in a series of speeches over the past week that he will not be able to eradicate the drug trade quickly as promised."These shabu (methamphetamine) and drugs, etcetera, cannot be solved by one man, for a president, for one term," he said in his southern home city of Davao on Friday.On Wednesday Duterte repeated that there were no quick solutions to the drug war, as he claimed not to have known before becoming president the extent of corruption in institutions such as the police force and customs.Duterte said.Duterte, 72, is a career politician who served in the national congress and spent more than two decades as mayor of Davao fashioning himself as a ruthless anti-drug crusader.Last year Duterte also admitted the police force was "corrupt to the core" but continued to give it a leading role in the drug war. He has also repeatedly promised to pardon officers if they are found guilty of murder.Source: AFP/ec</s>MANILA, Philippines — Philippine police say they have killed at least 26 more drug offenders in overnight gunbattles in the capital, bringing the death toll in the president's renewed crackdown to 58 in the last three days.

President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his satisfaction with the new spike in drug killings and reassured law enforcers Thursday he would ensure they will not rot in jail if they get entangled in lawsuits.

Manila police Chief Superintendent Joel Napoleon Coronel says 26 drug suspects were killed and more than 70 others arrested across the congested city in overnight police assaults.

The deaths followed the killings of 32 suspects in separate police anti-drug raids Tuesday in Bulacan province north of Manila under Duterte's notoriously bloody campaign that has horrified rights groups.</s>Thirty two suspected drug dealers were killed in police shootouts in the Philippines on Tuesday night, during the bloodiest 24 hours so far of a state war on drugs that has killed over 7,000 people in the last year.

The police conducted 49 “buy-bust” operations, using undercover officers to attempt to buy drugs from suspected dealers, and 14 raids, in the province of Bucalan, just north of the capital, Manila, said police superintendent Romeo Caramat.

Describing his forces’ actions as “one time, big time”, he said that 25 of these operations had “resulted in armed encounter” during which 32 were killed and 107 were arrested. Officers also confiscated over 200 grams of methamphetamine, 786g of marijuana, and firearms.

Mr Caramat told reporters that while the police tried to avoid casualties during their operations, that “we do not have control of the situation.”</s>MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine police said Wednesday that an updated report shows anti-drug operations in a northern province this week left 32 alleged drug offenders dead — 11 more than earlier reported as the highest death toll in a single day since President Rodrigo Duterte launched his war on drugs a year ago.

Senior Superintendent Romeo M. Caramat Jr. said 66 police operations in various parts of Bulacan province Tuesday left 32 suspects dead in encounters with police, while 107 others were arrested.

Confiscated during the operations were more than 200 grams of methamphetamine, 786 grams of marijuana, assorted firearms, grenades and ammunition.

Police records show that since the nationwide crackdown started, more than 3,200 alleged drug offenders have been killed in gunbattles with law enforcers. More than 2,000 others died in drug-related homicides, including attacks by motorcycle-riding masked gunmen and other assaults.

Human rights groups report a higher toll and demand an independent investigation into Duterte’s possible role in the violence.

Copyright © 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>MANILA: At least 26 people died overnight in police operations in the Philippines capital Manila, police said on Thursday, a second night of heavy bloodshed this week in an intensification of President Rodrigo Duterte's fierce war on drugs and crime.

The killings across Manila followed 32 deaths in near-simultaneous police raids on Monday night in Bulacan province, which borders the capital. Together, they mark the deadliest period of a drugs-focused crackdown that has killed thousands of Filipinos, and caused international alarm, since Duterte took office over a year ago.

Colonel Erwin Margarejo, spokesman for Manila police, described the raids that started late Wednesday in Manila as "one-time, big-time" operations, the same term used by police in Bulacan, who said the victims died because they chose to put up a fight.

"This is 'one-time, big-time' operations, so it is not focused only on drugs, we are operating also against other street crimes, like robbery, but these people could also be under the influence of drugs," Margarejo said.

"If they resisted violently, our police have to defend themselves."

Duterte unleashed his crackdown the day he took office on June 30 last year after a convincing win in an election in which he campaigned heavily on a promise to use deadly force to wipe out crime and drugs.

It was not immediately clear what was behind the step-up in the number of coordinated police operations this week, but Duterte gave a clear indication on Wednesday that it had his blessing.

He said it was good that 32 criminals had been killed in Bulacan, then added: "Let's kill another 32 every day. Maybe we can reduce what ails this country."

Duterte also chided human rights groups for getting in the way of his anti-drugs campaign and said police should shoot them if they obstructed justice, a remark the New York-based Human Rights Watch said puts activists "in grave danger".

Its deputy Asia director, Phelim Kine, described the comments as "like painting a target on the backs of courageous people working to protect the rights and upholding the dignity of all Filipinos."

The exact number of people killed during the war on drugs is difficult to quantify, with no independent statistics available and police providing comprehensive data only for deaths during anti-drugs operations, where official accounts typically say suspects resisted arrest.

From the start of the drugs war to the end of July, police said over 3,400 people were killed in their operations. Police said about 2,100 deaths among some 13,500 murders over the same period were drugs-related, attributed to turf wars, informants being silenced, or vigilantes killing drug users.

A total of 65 policemen have been killed on the job in this time.

Critics maintain that members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are executing suspects and say it is likely they have a hand in thousands of unsolved murders of drug users by mysterious vigilantes. The PNP and government reject that.

Although the violence has been criticised by much of the international community, Filipinos largely support the campaign and domestic opposition to it has been muted.

Several Senate hearings into allegations that Duterte operated a death squad when he was a city mayor and was now using the same approach on a national scale have been inconclusive, while an impeachment complaint filed earlier this year was dismissed by Congress.</s>MANILA, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Philippine police killed 32 people in dozens of anti-drug operations in a province north of the capital, Manila, in the single deadliest day of President Rodrigo Duterte's unrelenting war on drugs.

About 109 petty criminals, including street-level drug peddlers were arrested and dozens of guns seized in police operations across Bulacan province from Monday night until Tuesday afternoon, said provincial police chief, Romeo Caramat.

"We have conducted 'one-time, big-time' operations in the past, so far, the number of casualties and deaths, this is the highest," Caramat told a news conference.

He defended police action and said the deaths were during shootouts, and were not executions, as activists have often alleged.

"There are some sectors that will not believe us, but, we are open for any investigation. All we can say is that we don't have any control of the situation. As much as possible, we don't want this bloody encounter."

Thousands of people have been killed in the anti-drugs campaign, Duterte's signature policy, since it was launched on June 30 last year, most users and small-time dealers from poor neighborhoods.

The intensity of the crackdown has alarmed the international community, and activists and human rights groups say police have been executing suspects and planting drugs and guns at crime scenes. Police and the government officials reject that.

Police also deny involvement in thousands of murders by mysterious gunmen, blaming them on gang turf wars, drug dealers silencing informants, or vigilantes targeting drug users.

"There were 32 killed in Bulacan in a massive raid, that's good," Duterte said in a speech.

"Let's kill another 32 every day. Maybe we can reduce what ails this country."

Police conducted 49 sting drug operations in Bulacan that resulted in about 20 armed encounters, Caramat said. Ten other gunfights ensued when police tried to serve arrest warrants to suspects who fought back.

He said 93 of those held were wanted for other crimes, as well as drugs offences.

Bulacan has been a major target in the drugs war, with some 425 people killed and 4,000 offenders arrested, according to Caramat, making it the second-biggest hot spot in the crackdown outside of the Manila area.

Political opponents of Duterte have filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing the president and top aides of crimes against humanity, arguing they failed to address allegations of widespread police abuses that have been brought to their attention.

Duterte has welcomed the ICC complaint, and said he was willing to rot in jail to protect Filipinos.

He has often complained about human rights groups criticizing and undermining his campaign and on Wednesday said he would instead investigate them, or worse.

"If they are obstructing justice, shoot them," he said. (Reporting by Manuel Mogato and Karen Lema; Editing by Martin Petty, Robert Birsel)</s>Noah Schnapp, Joe Keery, Dacre Montgomery, and Sadie Sink are among the celebrity guests at the AsiaPOP Comicon 2017

MANILA, Philippines – Four stars from the Netflix hit series Stranger Things are set to come to Manila for the AsiaPOP Comicon 2017, which is happening on August 25 to 27 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay.

Noah Schnapp, who played Upside Down survivor Will Byers in the first season, will be joined by Joe Keery, who played big man on campus Steve. The two actors, who are returning for the second season, will be joined by Dacre Montgomery and Sadie Sink, new additions to the Stranger Things cast.

In the upcoming season of the show, Dacre will be playing Billy, the new kid in town who is originally from California. Sadie will be playing his stepister, Max.

The 4 actors are among the roster of celebrity guests who are attending the APCC. Also confirmed to attend are Justice League’s Ray Fisher, and Teen Wolf’s Tyler Hoechlin.

In 2016, Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven in Stranger Things, was one of the stars who attended APCC Manila. – Rappler.com</s>MANILA: At least 26 people died overnight in police operations in the Philippines capital Manila, police said on Thursday, a second night of heavy bloodshed this week in an intensification of President Rodrigo Duterte's fierce war on drugs and crime.

The killings across Manila followed 32 deaths in near-simultaneous police raids on Monday night in Bulacan province, which borders the capital. Together, they mark the deadliest period of a drugs-focused crackdown that has killed thousands of Filipinos, and caused international alarm, since Duterte took office over a year ago.

Colonel Erwin Margarejo, spokesman for Manila police, described the raids that started late Wednesday in Manila as "one-time, big-time" operations, the same term used by police in Bulacan, who said the victims died because they chose to put up a fight.

"This is 'one-time, big-time' operations, so it is not focused only on drugs, we are operating also against other street crimes, like robbery, but these people could also be under the influence of drugs," Margarejo said.

"If they resisted violently, our police have to defend themselves."

Duterte unleashed his crackdown the day he took office on June 30 last year after a convincing win in an election in which he campaigned heavily on a promise to use deadly force to wipe out crime and drugs.

It was not immediately clear what was behind the step-up in the number of coordinated police operations this week, but Duterte gave a clear indication on Wednesday that it had his blessing.

He said it was good that 32 criminals had been killed in Bulacan, then added: "Let's kill another 32 every day. Maybe we can reduce what ails this country."

Duterte also chided human rights groups for getting in the way of his anti-drugs campaign and said police should shoot them if they obstructed justice, a remark the New York-based Human Rights Watch said puts activists "in grave danger".

Its deputy Asia director, Phelim Kine, described the comments as "like painting a target on the backs of courageous people working to protect the rights and upholding the dignity of all Filipinos."

The exact number of people killed during the war on drugs is difficult to quantify, with no independent statistics available and police providing comprehensive data only for deaths during anti-drugs operations, where official accounts typically say suspects resisted arrest.

From the start of the drugs war to the end of July, police said over 3,400 people were killed in their operations. Police said about 2,100 deaths among some 13,500 murders over the same period were drugs-related, attributed to turf wars, informants being silenced, or vigilantes killing drug users.

A total of 65 policemen have been killed on the job in this time.

Critics maintain that members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are executing suspects and say it is likely they have a hand in thousands of unsolved murders of drug users by mysterious vigilantes. The PNP and government reject that.

Although the violence has been criticised by much of the international community, Filipinos largely support the campaign and domestic opposition to it has been muted.

Several Senate hearings into allegations that Duterte operated a death squad when he was a city mayor and was now using the same approach on a national scale have been inconclusive, while an impeachment complaint filed earlier this year was dismissed by Congress.</s>Philippine police killed 32 people in "shock and awe" raids aimed at scaring drug traffickers, authorities said Wednesday, after President Rodrigo Duterte admitted to setbacks in his controversial crime war.

Duterte has waged an unprecedented crackdown on drugs during his 14 months in power that has seen police and suspected vigilantes kill thousands of people, leading to warnings by rights groups that he may be overseeing a crime against humanity.

In one of the deadliest operations of the war, police reported killing 32 people in a series of raids Monday on suspected drug traffickers across Bulacan province, which neighbours the capital of Manila.

"We wanted to shock and awe these drug personalities," Romeo Caramat, the Bulacan police chief, told reporters in Manila on Wednesday, adding 109 suspects had also been arrested.

"Other drug personalities will think twice before continuing with their drug trade."

Caramat insisted the police had only killed the suspects in self defence, and highlighted in the press conference that pistols and grenades had been seized in the raids.

"We know we have done nothing wrong," Caramat said.

He later told AFP that no police had been killed or wounded.

When asked how it was possible there had been no police wounded if the raiding officers had been acting in self defence when killing 32 people, Caramat said: "Don't ask me to explain".

Duterte easily won last year's presidential election largely on a vow to kill tens of thousands of drug traffickers and addicts, which he said was necessary to stop the country's slide to narco-state status.

Duterte promised during the campaign he would win his drug war in three to six months, a vow that resonated with voters fed up with high crime rates and corrupt politicians.

Duterte then as president railed against critics who said it was impossible to quickly end the drugs problem by killing traffickers and addicts.

But Duterte, who is limited by the constitution to serving a single term of six years, conceded last week that he may be unable to deliver on his campaign pledge.

"Look, these shabu (meth) and drugs, et cetera, cannot be solved by one man, for a president for one term. It has bogged nations (down)," he said in his southern home city of Davao on Friday.

But in another speech last week, at national police headquarters, Duterte also signalled there would be no change in tactics.

He again vowed to pardon police if they were found guilty of murder for killing while fighting his drug war.</s>MANILA (AFP) - Philippine police killed 32 people in "shock and awe" raids aimed at scaring drug traffickers, authorities said Wednesday (Aug 16), after President Rodrigo Duterte admitted to setbacks in his controversial crime war.

Duterte has waged an unprecedented crackdown on drugs during his 14 months in power that has seen police and suspected vigilantes kill thousands of people, leading to warnings by rights groups that he may be overseeing a crime against humanity.

In one of the deadliest operations of the war, police reported killing 32 people in a series of raids Monday on suspected drug traffickers across Bulacan province, which neighbours the capital of Manila.

"We wanted to shock and awe these drug personalities," Romeo Caramat, the Bulacan police chief, told reporters in Manila on Wednesday, adding 109 suspects had also been arrested.

"Other drug personalities will think twice before continuing with their drug trade."

Caramat insisted the police had only killed the suspects in self defence, and highlighted in the press conference that pistols and grenades had been seized in the raids.

"We know we have done nothing wrong," Caramat said.

He later told AFP that no police had been killed or wounded.

When asked how it was possible there had been no police wounded if the raiding officers had been acting in self defence when killing 32 people, Caramat said: "Don't ask me to explain".

Duterte easily won last year's presidential election largely on a vow to kill tens of thousands of drug traffickers and addicts, which he said was necessary to stop the country's slide to narco-state status.

Duterte promised during the campaign he would win his drug war in three to six months, a vow that resonated with voters fed up with high crime rates and corrupt politicians.

Duterte then as president railed against critics who said it was impossible to quickly end the drugs problem by killing traffickers and addicts.

But Duterte, who is limited by the constitution to serving a single term of six years, conceded last week that he may be unable to deliver on his campaign pledge.

"Look, these shabu (meth) and drugs, et cetera, cannot be solved by one man, for a president for one term. It has bogged nations (down)," he said in his southern home city of Davao on Friday.

But in another speech last week, at national police headquarters, Duterte also signalled there would be no change in tactics.

He again vowed to pardon police if they were found guilty of murder for killing while fighting his drug war.
At least 32 people are killed in a series of police raids near Manila, Philippines, allegedly due to the ongoing drug war.