Manila — Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to impose martial rule to prosecute his deadly war on drugs, three decades after the nation shed dictatorship with a famous "People Power" revolt. "If I wanted to, and it [the illegal drugs problem] will deteriorate into something really very virulent, I will declare martial law if I wanted to. No one will be able to stop me," Duterte said in a speech on Saturday night. The 71-year-old former state prosecutor said the aim would be "to preserve the Filipino people and the youth of this land". Duterte won elections in May 2016 on a pledge to wipe out illegal drugs, promising an unprecedented crackdown to stop the Philippines from becoming what he termed a narco state. The crackdown has left at least 5,700 people dead in just more than six months, raising concerns of a breakdown in the rule of law with security forces and vigilantes carrying out extrajudicial killings. The Philippines’ longtime ally, the US, has led internat...
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