In connection with the bloody war on drugs, the Philippine government has found grounds for criminal investigations into 154 police officers.

Justice Minister Menardo Guevarra's admission followed shortly after outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte's announcement that he would retire from politics after the end of his term next year.

According to various estimates, thousands to tens of thousands of suspected drug criminals were killed in the course of the campaign.

Till Fähnders

Political Correspondent for Southeast Asia.

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In a speech, according to Philippine press reports on Tuesday, the president again stood in front of the police if they had not broken any laws.

"If someone has to go to jail, I'll be the one," Duterte said.

Duterte had made similar statements on previous occasions.

They should be treated with caution, as Duterte's speeches are often peppered with exaggeration and sarcasm.

Duterte no longer competes

In addition, he obviously wants to counter the impression that he would like an ally to be his successor in order to avoid possible prosecution. So Duterte also announced that after the end of his career he wanted to face possible legal proceedings because of the drug war. Among other things, he said that he wanted to "prepare" his defense before the International Criminal Court. So far, Duterte had ruled out any cooperation with the court in The Hague.

In 2019, Manila also withdrew from the Rome Statute, the treaty on which the court is based. The government also does not recognize its jurisdiction over the Philippines for the time before. The court in The Hague officially opened an investigation into the anti-drug war in mid-September. The judges saw "valid reasons" for believing that crimes against humanity had been committed in the course of this.

The 76-year-old president will not run for office again next year because the constitution does not allow a second term.

His daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio is traded as a possible successor, but she has not yet been officially candidate.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of the former dictator of the same name and an ally of Duterte, announced his candidacy on Tuesday.

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao had previously registered as a candidate for the electoral commission.