The Philippines on Thursday dismissed as "thoughtless and irresponsible" a report by Human Rights Watch that President Rodrigo Duterte had turned a blind eye to murders by police in what the group called a "campaign of extrajudicial execution". Duterte's signature war on drugs was in the best interests of Filipinos and the New York-based group's allegations of systematic police abuse were "hearsay" and not supported by evidence, said presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella. "All these accusations of circumventing police procedures should be proven in a competent court and if found meritorious should result in appropriate sanctions against the perpetrators," Abella said in a statement.



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