Philippines' Duterte says bodies of drug lords nabbed in crackdown dumped in ravines, bays

MANILA (DPA) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has bragged that the bodies of suspected drug lords have been "dumped" in ravines and bays, amid criticism the country's crackdown has failed to reach high-profile targets and mostly resulted in deaths among the poor.

He said bodies were dumped in Manila Bay, the harbour serving the Philippine capital, and Laguna De Bay, the country's biggest lake, adding that some were thrown in ravines in Mountain Province in the northern Philippines, in a speech on Thursday evening (Nov 28).

"These idiot columnists say we have not killed drug lords," he said.

"You just don't know. You don't know how many bodies I've thrown in Manila Bay," he added.

"You devils, do you also want us to throw you in? Why? Did we announce that this drug lord was thrown in Laguna De Bay, or the other one I dumped in a ravine at Mountain Province? Do I have to advertise that? You're all crazy," he said.

The comments from the 74-year-old leader, who is known to exaggerate, came days after he fired Vice-President Leni Robredo from leading the campaign against illegal drugs - only 18 days into the role.

Ms Robredo had expressed determination to stop the killings in favour of arrests and rehabilitation.

She had also asked for a list of high-profile targets of the campaign after observing that the crackdown appears to be aimed only at poor people, who make up most of those killed in police operations.

According to Philippine police statistics, 5,779 suspects have been killed in anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016, to Aug 31, 2019.

Estimates by human rights groups place the death toll at more than 12,000.