MANILA, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government is already looking into the unlawful killings in the wake of the war against illegal drugs, a senior government official said Monday.
Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar was responding to the resolution issued by the European Union expressing concern on the spate of killings involving drug suspects.
"Extra-judicial killing is not a policy of this administration. We will never condone any unlawful killings," he said.
The call of the European Parliament to launch an immediate investigation is already being addressed as President Rodrigo Duterte has already instructed authorities to look into these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice, Andanar explained.
As to the specific, comprehensive policies and programs in compliance with human rights, he said plans for the construction of drug rehabilitation centers are now underway.
The president has also directed the military to allot some of their idle lands for these centers as part of the second phase of the anti-drug war, which is the rehabilitation of drug dependents, he added.
He noted that at least four rehabilitation centers will be built this year, two in Luzon, one in the Visayas, and one in Mindanao.
Since Duterte assumed office on June 30, over 700,000 drug users and pushers have surrendered to authorities while more than 3,000 drug suspects were killed, most of them allegedly perpetrated by vigilantes.
The president has also sought for six-month extension to end illegal drug problem in the country from his initial target of three to six months.
