Eradicating controlled substances and destroying the networks for their distribution is a lot harder than the President had imagined, and he needs more time.
President Rodrigo Duterte asked for six more months to solve the drug and crime problems in the Philippines, reports Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Duterte said that he did not realize the magnitude of the problem when he made his campaign promise to clean up the country in three to six months.
Since the Duterte administration took over in June, 700,000 new drug users and pushers have surrendered to the police and the military.
“Just give me a little extension of maybe of another six months. Because I never have that idea of hundreds of thousands of people in the drug business,” he said during the presentation to the media of freed Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad in Davao City.
The tough-talking President added that the task is even more difficult since people in the government and elected officials are involved in drug operations.
“The problem is I cannot kill them all,” he said. “Even if I wanted to, I cannot do it.”
Duterte promised that he is doing his very best to put order in the country.
“We are rocked with so many problems — kidnapping in the south, terrorism, drugs which is really pulling us down. So I say we would need time to put everything in order,” he said.
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