Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said 60,000 drug dependents have surrendered to authorities

'We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered,' Mr Duterte said

Almost 300 people have been killed since the start of July and the death toll is set to rise even further

After winning elections in May this year he has urged citizens to kill suspected drug users and dealers

Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has been dubbed 'The Punisher' because of his war on drugs


Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's war on illegal drugs has already killed almost 300 people since the start of July and the death toll is set to rise.

In his first state of the nation address to parliament Mr Duterte, dubbed 'The Punisher', ignored the outrage over the continuing death count, declaring that drugs were drowning his country' and had to be stopped at all costs.

'Double your efforts. Triple them if need be,' Mr Duterte told police.

A Filipino woman grieves the loss of her husband, next to a placard which reads 'I'm a pusher'. The man was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Pasay City, south of Manila, Philippines

'We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or been put behind bars ... or below ground if you wish,' he said.

Human rights groups obtained police figures that showed Mr Duterte's violent crackdown has claimed the lives of 293 suspected users and pushers in police operations between July 1 and July 24.

This figure does not include drug dealers killed by vigilante groups and those working outside the law.

Mr Duterte made it clear he would pardon police if they were charged with human rights violations for carrying out his merciless orders.

A Filipino funeral parlor worker wrapping a body following a police operation against illegal drugs in in Pasay City, south of Manila

While women grieve the death of an alleged drug pusher in Pasay city, south of Manila (left), Filipinos carrying a wounded villager following a police operation against illegal drugs in Malabon City, east of Manila (right)

The body of a drug user is carried away following a police operation against illegal drugs in the town of Kawit, Cavite province, Philippines

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's war on illegal drugs has already killed almost 300 people since the start of July

Filipino villagers grieve the loss of their relative, who was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Pasay City, south of Manila

Nearly 60,000 Filipino drug addicts surrendered themselves earlier this month to the government after President Duterte urged citizens to 'go ahead and kill' drug dealers and users.

Mr Duterte won elections in May and immediately promised a law-and-order crackdown on drugs.

'These sons of w****s are destroying our children. I warn you, don't go into that, even if you're a policeman, because I will really kill you,' the president told an audience during a speech in the country's capital, Manila.

Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said close to 60,000 drug dependents have surrendered to authorities since the administration began its intensified campaign against drugs.

Nearly 60,000 drug addicts across the Philippines have handed themselves in to authorities after president Duterte promised a law-and-order crackdown on drugs

Filipinos allegedly involved in illegal drugs handcuffed together inside a police headquarters in Manila. Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said close to 60,000 drug dependents have surrendered to authorities

Filipino inmates are seen inside a jail in Manila. President Rodrigo Duterte has urged citizens to 'go ahead and kill' drug dealers and users

Police officers remove packing tape wrapped over the lifeless head of an alleged drug dealer on a street in Manila

Police have confirmed killing more than 110 drug suspects since the president came to power, while local news reports suggest that figure is around 200.

At least 43,000 alleged drug traffickers have been 'neutralised' and 300kg of shabu, a highly addictive methamphetamine, has been confiscated, according to local reports.

President Duterte has warned of widespread bloodshed as part of the government's war on drugs.

He vowed on one occasion during the election campaign that 100,000 people would die, and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish there would grow fat from feeding on them, according to the South China Morning Post.

Duterte has also told police he would protect them from legal consequences if they killed drug dealers, the Post reported.

Picture shows the body of a killed Filipino allegedly involved in illegal drugs. Police have confirmed killing more than 110 drug suspects since president Duterte came to power

Police officers investigate the body of an alleged drug dealer, his face covered with packing tape and a placard reading 'I'm a pusher', on a street in Manila

At least 43,000 alleged drug traffickers have been 'neutralised' and 300kg of shabua, a highly addictive methamphetamine, has been confiscated

Pictured, arrested Filipinos allegedly involved in illegal drugs resting inside a shanty in Manila. President Duterte has warned of widespread bloodshed as part of the government's war on drugs

President Duterte vowed on one occasion during the election campaign that 100,000 people would die, and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that the fish there would grow fat from feeding on them, according to the South China Morning Post

Last week, gruesome images showing slain drug dealers with 'I'm a pusher' signs covering their chests emerged.

The grim scenes of alleged drug dealers found shot dead in Manila last week are growing increasingly common as police wage a bloody war on narcotics.

The government's top lawyer called for police to kill more suspected drug criminals, as he defended president Duterte's brutal war on crime against mounting criticism.

As the official death toll has mounted, and other bodies not confirmed killed by police have been found with placards declaring them drug traffickers, human rights lawyers have expressed deep concerns about the war on crime spiralling out of control.

Filipino suspected drug users and pushers participate in exercises after voluntarily surrendering in Manila

Grim scenes of alleged drug dealers found shot dead in Manila last week are growing increasingly common as police wage a bloody war on narcotics.

A Filipino allegedly involved with illegal drugs standing on top of an electric post as rescuers try to convince him to get down

The Filipino man allegedly involved with drugs is arrested by policemen after clinging on top of an electric post for hours

In response to the criticism, Solicitor General Jose Calida held a press conference on Monday at national police headquarters to insist on the legality of the police killings and to encourage more deaths of people suspected of being involved in the drug trade.

'To me, that is not enough,' Calida said of the killings so far.

'How many drug addicts or pushers are there in the Philippines? Our villages are almost saturated (with drugs).'

A lawyer and a former prosecutor, Duterte has urged law enforcers to kill those they believe are involved in the drug trade, as well as other criminals.

Members of the Philippine National Police Scene of the Crime Operatives conducting investigation following a police operation against illegal drugs

Pictured, the body of a killed Filipino allegedly involved in illegal drugs lying in a pool of blood in Manila

A member of the Philippine National Police Scene of the Crime Operatives examining recovered evidence in Manila.

The government's top lawyer called for police to kill more suspected drug criminals, as he defended president Duterte's brutal war on crime against mounting criticism

In one of the deadliest single incidents, police reported killing eight 'drug personalities' during a pre-dawn raid on Saturday in a small southern town.

One of the nation's top human rights lawyers, Jose Manuel Diokno, warned last week that Duterte had 'spawned a nuclear explosion of violence that is spiralling out of control and creating a nation without judges'.

Former senator Rene Saguisag, a prominent human rights lawyer during the regime of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, also criticised Duterte's statements naming and shaming alleged drug lords and police officers ahead of a formal investigation.

As the official death toll has mounted, and other bodies not confirmed killed by police have been found with placards declaring them drug traffickers, human rights lawyers have expressed deep concerns about the war on crime spiralling out of control

Solicitor General Jose Calida held a press conference on Monday at national police headquarters to insist on the legality of the police killings and to encourage more deaths of people suspected of being involved in the drug trade

Pictured, a Filipino suspected drug user takes his oath taking after voluntarily surrendering

'Do we still probe and have a trial as part of due process? Useless, it seems to me,' Saguisag wrote in an online column last week.

Some opposition lawmakers have also called for a congressional investigation into the spate of killings.

Calida, a Duterte appointee, said he would protect police from or during congressional probes, while emphasising it was up to critics to prove allegations of abuse rather than base inquiries on speculation.

'I am here to encourage the (police) not to be afraid of any congressional or senate investigations. We will defend them ... I am the defender of the (police),' he said.