Duterte satisfied with spurt in such killings, assures law enforcers they won’t land in jail

Philippines police have said they killed at least 26 more drug offenders in overnight gunbattles in the capital, bringing the death toll in President Rodrigo Duterte’s renewed crackdown to 58 in the last three days.

Mr. Duterte expressed his satisfaction with the new spike in drug killings and reassured law enforcers on Thursday he would ensure they will not rot in jail if they get entangled in lawsuits.

Overnight police assaults

Manila police Chief Superintendent Joel Napoleon Coronel said 26 drug suspects were killed and more than 70 others arrested across the congested city in overnight police assaults.

The deaths followed the killings of 32 suspects in separate police anti-drug raids on Tuesday in Bulacan province north of Manila under Mr. Duterte’s notoriously bloody campaign that has horrified rights groups.