The president has dismissed "due process," calling on the armed forces to hunt down the more than 150 suspects if they do not surrender. The list included judges, mayors, local officials and military personnel.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/C. Ebrano
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday linked more than 150 judges, mayors, lawmakers, police and military personnel to the illicit drug trade, which he described as a "pandemic."
At least eight judges, 95 police and military personnel, and 50 current and former officials were named by the president.
The listed suspects have 24 hours to surrender to authorities "or else, I will order the entire armed forces of the Philippines to hunt you," said Duterte during a speech at a military camp in the city of Davao. He immediately revoked gun licenses held by those listed.
"There is no due process in my mouth," he said. "You can't stop me and I'm not afraid even if you say that I can end up in jail."
While he admitted that it is possible some of the suspects are not guilty, he said it was his duty to expose how the drug trade is deeply entrenched in Philippine life.
Presidential spokesman Martin Andanar later said that prosecutors will file cases against those named by Duterte.
"The president is encouraging all of the persons of interest, the alleged drug lords and drug coddlers to come out in the open, to surrender themselves to thorough investigation," Andanar said.
Since being sworn in on June 30, Duterte has launched a brutal war on drugs, leaving more than 400 suspected dealers and pushers dead, while more than 4,400 people have been arrested over their connections to the trade.
Nearly 600,000 people have surrendered to authorities, many of them drug dealers and users fearing for their lives, after the president called on police to use lethal action against them if they failed to turn themselves in.
A look at the Philippines' overcrowded prisons
The crackdown on drugs unleashed by President Rodrigo Duterte has brought the country's prisons to the brink of collapse. In the Quezon City Jail near the capital Manila, inmates are living under miserable conditions.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Imprisoned in the open air
Inmates who cannot be accommodated in the prison cells sleep on the ground in the open air. At present, it's rainy season in the Philippines. And in the current tropical temperatures, it's raining almost every day.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Sleeping on several floors
Whoever possesses a hammock should consider themselves lucky. The prison, which was built 60 years ago, has a capacity to house 800 inmates. But today there are as many as 3,800.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Hardly any room to breathe
Every nook and corner in the prison is occupied. Most of the prisoners sleep on either thin sheets or bare concrete floor.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Staying strong
A prisoner toughens up his muscles in an exercise room.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Strict rules
Signboards remind inmates of prison rules. The handcuffed prisoners shown here are awaiting their trial.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Cleaning service
One prisoner cleans the toilet while the others try to kill time.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Washing and bathing room
Only occasionally can the prisoners free themselves of sweat, filth and stench.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Night confinement
A guard locks the gate in the evening, while the inmates get ready for another night in the overcrowded prison.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Celis
Uncompromising
Many hold newly elected President Duterte responsible for the inhumane situation. His campaign against drugs has shown no mercy. He has called on the people to kill drug addicts, which has led to an unprecedented wave of vigilantism in the Southeast Asian nation. Cases have been filed against 600,000 drug dealers and addicts so far, completely overwhelming the justice system.
