President Duterte reiterated his appeal to the next administration to sustain the momentum of his government's infamous anti-illegal drugs campaign to protect the people from the threat of the narcotics trade.
Duterte said this as he led the groundbreaking of the Philippine Sports Training Center in Bagac, Bataan on June 17.
In his speech, the President urged the incoming administration to support all initiatives that would fulfill his dream of ending the drug trade.
“Please support any endeavor that would kill the industry of drugs in this country,” he said.
He likewise appealed to the police and military to sustain the momentum of the drug war, assuring them that he would protect law enforcers who would be charged for killing drug suspects while in the line of duty.
"Hawakan ninyo ang droga kasi ‘pag hindi, sisirain ang bayan natin (Continue the campaign because if not, it will destroy our country)," Duterte said.
“Do it in the official performance of duty. if by unfortunate chance, you find yourself in a corner at nagtagpo kayo nitong mga drug lord na ito (and you have an encounter with these drug lords), kill them," he added.
"You have to perform your duty. And to save your own life if it is in danger, okay ‘yan (that’s all right). I assume full responsibility," he continued.
This was not the first time the President made this appeal to the incoming administration. Earlier this week, Duterte said he had urged his daughter Vice President-elect Sara Duterte to ensure that illegal drugs would not enter schools.
"But this time, kung wala na ako, sabihin ko na lang kay Inday, 'Take over. Ikaw na ang... Kunin mo ‘yang trabahong...' (I will be gone. I'll tell Inday to take over the job)," he said.
Duterte appealed to his daughter not to let students be exposed to illegal drugs.
"Biro mo ‘yang (Imagine, in the) Department of Education, maraming bata diyan (there are many kids there). Do not ever allow contamination diyan sa ano (there)," the President said.
"Gumamit ka ng (Use whatever you can) --- if you have to do it, do it. Me, I had to do it because nobody would do it for us," he added.
Duterte won the 2016 elections after promising to end the illegal drug trade within six months. Six years later, he admitted that he was wrong and that his hubris forced him to make such a pronouncement.
As of March 31, 2022, President Duterte's infamous drug war led to the dismantling of 1,130 drug dens and clandestine laboratories, the clearing of 24,766 of the 42,045 barangays, and the arrest of 14,888 high-value targets, including 527 government employees.
The administration's drug campaign has seized P76.17 billion worth of shabu and rescued 4,307 minors aged four to 17 from the illegal drug trade.
Meanwhile, 6,241 people were killed in the 233,356 anti-illegal drug operations conducted from July 1, 2016, to March 31, 2022.
President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. had offered the drug war czar position to President Duterte, but the latter declined even if there was no legal impediment for a former president to take on a role in the Executive Branch.