Filipino drug lords set $1 million bounty on Duterte, police chief

Drug lords have set a bounty on incoming Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte. Image via Concept News Central.

10th June 2016 

DRUG lords in the Philippines have reportedly increased a bounty set for incoming President Rodrigo Duterte and the soon-to-be national police chief.

According to The Philippine Daily Inquirer, incoming Philippine National Police (PNP) director Chief Supt. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said the bounties for him and Duterte were increased from 10 million pesos (US$216,980) to 50 million pesos (US$1.084mil) as there were currently no takers.

However, Dela Rosa said he remained unfazed by the reported assassination threats against him and the President-elect.

“As of yesterday, they increased the bounty to 50 million pesos. Fifty million pesos for Mayor Duterte, 50 million pesos for me. They increased it because they could not find any takers. No takers wanted the 10 million pesos, so they increased it to 50 million pesos,” Dela Rosa was quoted as saying.

SEE ALSO: Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte urges public to kill drug dealers

Earlier, Dela Rosa said the bounties were offered by drug lords who were serving their sentences at the New Bilibid Prison.

“Bring it on, really. Bring it on. Oh, it has gotten bigger – 50 million. Okay, you come. Bring it on anytime – any time of the day, any place,” he said.

Shrugging off the threats, the former Davao police chief joked that he was “not that handsome” enough to face death.

“Am I that handsome that I would be afraid to die? I am not afraid to die,” he said on Wednesday.

Duterte has encouraged the public to help him in his war against crime and urged citizens with guns to shoot and kill drug dealers who would resist arrest and fight back.

Duterte also told the public that they would be rewarded if they helped him in the bloody war against criminal elements.

SEE ALSO: Philippines: Duterte vows death penalty, ‘shoot-to-kill’ orders for hard criminals