Twenty-five criminals were killed, including 14 in anti-drug operations, overnight in the Philippine capital Manila in a second night of heavy bloodshed this week as President Duterte's fierce war on drugs intensified.
Thursday's killings across Manila followed 32 deaths in near-simultaneous police operations on Monday night through to Tuesday in Bulacan province, marking the deadliest period of Duterte's controversial crackdown that has killed thousands of Filipinos.
Joel Napoleon Coronel, director of Manila Police District, told reporters the 14 were killed in sting operations and 11 other deaths were robbers who were also involved in narcotics.
The identity of the killers of the 11 people were not known and the incidents were under investigation, police reports said.
On Wednesday, President Duterte praised the operations, adding that he will order the shooting of human rights advocates.
"Let's kill another 32 everyday, maybe we can reduce what ails this country," local media quoted Duterte as saying in a speech during the 19th anniversary commemoration of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption at the presidential office.
The administration’s aggressive war on drugs, which resulted in thousands of killings, has earned condemnation from various human rights advocates not only in the country, but also from abroad.
The president said he is expecting an outcry from human rights advocates and assured that the police have his support. He lambasted local and international human rights groups for condemning his drug war, saying these groups were turning a blind eye on the victims of drug-induced crimes.