Toll in Philippine drugs war climbs to 2,000

Numbers might increase as as administration is determine to continue its war against drugs

Philippine National Police Director General Ronald de la Rosa on Tuesday said that 1,916 drug suspects were killed in the war on illicit drugs since July 1.

The figure is 137 more than the one he gave on Monday during the first day of an investigation in which he said 1,779 drug suspects were killed, Xinhua news agency reported.

Also on Monday, De la Rosa said that out of 1,779 deaths, 712 were killed in the ongoing operations while 1,067 died in "vigilante-type" killings.

The number of deaths were recorded since July 1, a day after President Rodrigo Duterte assumed presidency. The figure also means that more than 30 persons were killed every single day since.

About 300 police officers protect drug lords, de la Rosa said.

De la Rosa predicted that the number of casualties will continue to increase in the coming days as the administration continues its war against drugs.

"In the next six months I hope that we can stop the supply of drugs. If we would be able to cut the supply we would certainly reduce the demand," said De la Rosa.