Duterte admits drug war has 'long way to go'
President Duterte admitted that despite the strides made, there was still a long way to go in his infamous drug war.
Duterte made the statement during his sixth and final State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 26.
In his speech, the President said his drug war was far from over.
"We still have a long way in our fight against the proliferation of drugs," he said.
"This problem has hounded our country for several decades, destroying families and degrading the moral fiber of our society," he added.
President Duterte said he waged a war against illegal drugs because of his love for the country.
"I am a Filipino and I love my country. I do not want my country in disarray because of drugs," he said.
"I do not want families break up and become dysfunctional. Iyon ang masakit sa akin (That is what hurts me)," he added.
According to the President, his campaign against illegal drugs has come a long way from his original promise of ending it in three to six months.
"We launched an unprecedented war against illegal drugs to destroy their apparatus that permitted every level and sector of society," he said.
"We waged war on the manufacturers, the financials, the suppliers, the peddlers, and the entire syndicate, and more importantly, their protectors in government," he added.
Aside from going after drug personalities, the President said the government has also rescued and reformed drug dependents while making interventions and building facilities for their rehabilitation and to prepare them for their reintegration into society.
"Our unyielding campaign led to the surrender of millions of drug dependents and neutralization, capture, and prosecution of drug personalities," Duterte said.
He added that the drug war led to the dismantling of illegal drugs and syndicates, drug laboratories, extensive drug communities down to the barangay level, and the cutting of narcopolitics.
Last week, Malacañang declared President Duterte's infamous war on drugs a success, saying all barangays can still be freed from illegal drugs before the President's term ends.