65 killed from December to February in PNP drug war relaunch

Sixty-five drug suspects have been killed since the Philippine National Police (PNP) rejoined the government’s bloody crackdown against illegal drugs.

The death toll covered 4,613 police operations conducted nationwide from December 5, 2017 to February 14, the PNP said in a statement.

That is an average of one casualty a day over the 71-day period, INQUIRER.net’s computation showed.

Police units also arrested 7,103 drug suspects in various anti-drug operations conducted in the same period.

READ: 53 killed since December as PNP rejoins anti-drug war

President Rodrigo Duterte, through Presidential Memorandum Order No. 17, ordered the return of the PNP to the administration’s controversial anti-illegal drug campaign to supplement the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)’s anti-illegal drug operations.

Meanwhile, since Oplan Tokhang was relaunched in January, police units conducted 4,339 Tokhang activities with 2,137 surrenderers nationwide. Police Regional Office 10 recorded the most surrenderers with 730 and National Capital Region Police Office with 430.

The PNP maintained the project remained “bloodless.”

The PNP last week said it has culled and verified more than 11,000 names in its anti-illegal drugs watchlist nationwide.

The controversial campaign is the subject of an ongoing preliminary examination of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

It stemmed from the complaint filed by Jude Josue Sabio, lawyer of self-confessed Davao Death Squad hitmen Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascañas. /je