MANILA — Philippine lawmakers were unable to ratify a deal on Monday that would have ended a yearslong Muslim rebellion, denying President Rodrigo Duterte the chance to announce a piece of positive news in an annual speech he delivered to Congress in Manila.

Deprived of that opportunity, Mr. Duterte, 73, used much of his third annual State of the Nation address to defend his deadly war on drug users and dealers, saying he would not be cowed by human rights advocates.

“When illegal drug operations turn nasty and bloody, advocates of human rights mock our law enforcers and this administration to no end,” he said. “Sadly, I have yet to really hear howls of protest from human rights advocates and church leaders against drug lordism, drug dealing and drug pushing as forceful and vociferous.”

“Your concern is human rights,” Mr. Duterte added. “Mine is human lives.”

Mr. Duterte, who has faced international opprobrium for the drug crackdown, had hoped to use the State of the Nation address to announce an autonomy agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a separatist group.