"Kaya nga binigyan tayo ng extension ng another six months para matapos talaga ito. Paano natin matatapos kung mag-slowdown tayo (That’s why we were given a six-month extension to finish the drug campaign. How can we finish it if we slow down)?" he told reporters on the sidelines of his meeting in Bogota with Colombian National Police Chief Jorge Hernando Nieto.
Dela Rosa is in Bogota to "learn the Colombia police's best practices against illegal drugs".
"Siguro naramdaman ni Presidente na talagang mahirap iyong aming kalagayan (Maybe the president felt that our situation is really difficult)," he said, noting that they only recently found out about the magnitude of the country's drug situation.
Based on monitoring by the ABS-CBN Investigative and Research Group, 1,674 have been killed from May 10 to September 21 or since Duterte won the May elections. Twelve people have been killed daily in the drug war.
A majority of 59% or 986 people were killed during police operations, while 33% or 559 were killed by unidentified assailants.
A total of 129 bodies (8%) were found away from the crime scene.
Dela Rosa also dismissed criticisms of the war on drugs, and asserted that the PNP does what is needed to be done, and that he does not condone the use of excessive force.
"Damned if you do, damned if you don't, 'di ba? Kung hindi kami kikilos, ano mangyayari sa ating bansa? (Damned if you do, damned if you don't, right? If we don’t act, what will happen to the country?)" he said.
In a speech on Sunday, Duterte said the government would need another six months to solve the country's drug and crime problems. He had set a 6-month deadline or until end of December 2016 to fulfill his election promise.
"Maybe just give me an extension of another six months. I did not have that idea that there were thousands of people in the drug business and worst is they are operated now by people in government," Duterte said during the presentation of freed Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad to the media.
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