Some national leaders measure their efficacy in policies passed. Rodrigo Duterte, the new president of the Philippines, seems to measure his in corpses. In the six weeks since he took office more than 600 drug suspects have been killed, mostly by the police. Mr Duterte campaigned on a promise to end crime within six months. During his 22 years as mayor of the southern city of Davao, human-rights groups linked him with vigilante gangs that killed criminal suspects. He treated those accusations with pride, and seems bent on nationalising his Davao methods. Some politicians have objected, particularly after he publicly read a “wanted” list of more than 150 judges, elected officials and senior military and police officers who, he claimed, were linked to the drugs trade. Yesterday an opposition senator suggested Mr Duterte risked being accused of crimes against humanity. Yet the president remains popular among ordinary Filipinos. Expect the bloodletting to continue.