President Duterte praised the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for their sustained anti-illegal drug campaign in the country, even as he hoped that the law enforcers would continue their efforts in the coming months.

“It has to be a sustained campaign with no end in sight because nakita mo naman (as you've seen) during my watch sa kaistrikto ko sa droga ganoon rin (the drug menace remained despite my strictness),” President Duterte said during his weekly "Talk to the People" public briefing, a pre-recording of which aired on Wednesday morning, Jan. 5.

“May mga tao talaga na (There are really people who)... It’s always money. So iyan ang magiging problema (that will be the problem). But I’d like to congratulate the DILG and the police for the, I said, the fervor that they are nurturing in fighting the drug problem," he said.

Perhaps the most famous campaign promise made by Duterte, 76, was the vow he made in 2016 to totally eradicate the narcotics problem in the country within three to six months of his term if elected president.

As noted by political analysts, tt did not take long for him to adjust the time element of his promise, first to one year, only to ultimately concede that his war against drugs will take up his entire six-year term in Malacañang.

Duterte will step down from the Palace on June 30, 2022.

"In his report to the President, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said that the anti-illegal drug operations would continue, manifesting the government’s seriousness in eliminating the drug menace.

Last week, he reported that law enforcers conducted 547 anti-illegal drug operations, resulting in 797 arrests. Some 52 suspected drug offenders surrendered, while a single casualty was recorded during drug operations.

Año bared that anti-illegal drug operations during the past week led to P143,938,870 worth of confiscations in terms of marijuana and "shabu", which is often referred to as "poor man's cocaine".

Last December, Año reported at least P74.3 billion worth of illegal drugs have been seized since the Duterte administration launched its war on drugs in 2016.

Over 15,000 kilos of shabu, marijuana, and Ecstasy tablets were destroyed by the authorities, while 982 dens and 18 clandestine laboratories were dismantled, according to the DILG chief.

Duterte claimed in November 2021 that illegal drugs "will come back" if his successor in Malacañang isn't a hardliner against drugs like him.