MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte appears to be “worried” and “frustrated” by the recent spate of killings and other crimes in the country, the Palace said Thursday, as it explained the chief executive’s recent vow to introduce “radical changes in the days to come.”

Duterte earlier this week said he will soon make “radical changes” as he lamented that “too many crimes” were happening in the country.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte may have been particularly alarmed by the recent killings of two prosecutors - Quezon City assistant prosecutor Rogelio Velasco and assistant special prosecutor Madonna Joy Tanyag of the Office of the Ombudsman.

Duterte is a former prosecutor himself.

“Siguro po kaya na-frustrate ang Presidente, dahil dalawang prosecutors ang napatay. Iyung isa po buntis pa,” Roque said in a press briefing.

“Bukod pa d'yan maraming napapabalitang mga holdapan na nangyayari ngayon, mga bagong schemes na nabibiktima ang mga motorista natin,”

(He was probably frustrated after two prosecutors were killed. One of them was even pregnant. And there are reports that there is an increase in robbery incidents in Metro Manila and other schemes that victimize motorists.)

Roque said the President, who won on a platform of eradicating crimes in the country, believes there is more room for improvement in the fight against crimes.

“The President reiterated that while we have been combatting crime and prohibited drugs since day 1 of this administration, apparently we can do more,” he said.

Roque said police chief Oscar Albayalde was aware of the President’s concerns and has called for a meeting to address them.

Despite the President’s sentiments about the spate of crimes, Roque said the gains achieved under the administration in reducing the crime rate should not go unnoticed.

The National Capital Region Police Office last month said from April 16 to May 20, 2018, it has recorded 1,255 crimes, lower compared to 1,678 recorded incidents during the same period last year.

Based on the weekly average crime trend monitoring of the NCRPO Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division, the weekly average crime rate of “focus crimes”, such as murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, and carnapping, decreased by 29.29 percent.