Philippines is in an intense battle to drug users. ( Cruel)

In August 2016, The United Nations urged the Philippines’ new president, Rodrigo Duterte (Rod-rigo Du-ter-tay) to stop promoting the unlawful killings of suspected drug users.

In just three months, scores of people have been killed as a result of Duterte’s (Du-ter-tay) extreme response to the war on drugs.

Although this brutal rhetoric has shocked many outside of the Philippines, those who voted for Duterte (Du-ter-tay) point to widespread crime and drug addiction as issues only solvable by an aggressive leader.

So how is Duterte cracking down in his violent war on drugs and crime?

Well, Duterte’s focus on crime is not unfounded. Before his presidency he was Mayor of Davao (Da-vow) City, the fourth most crime-ridden city in the country, the second highest for rape, and the highest for murder.

From 2010-2015, it saw more than 37,000 crimes, including murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, and carjacking.

And this trend across the country has been on the rise. In 2015, crime rates jumped by nearly 50% from January to June.

In 2005, Philippine police reported to have solved upwards of 90% of cases, but by 2014, fewer than a third of cases were said to have been solved.

The police allege that this is not the result of increasing crime, but under reporting in prior years.

Nonetheless, Duterte has singled out drug use as the primary enemy in his new regime. The president has been quoted encouraging people to kill drug users themselves as an alternative to calling the police.

In just the three months following Duterte’s election, 1,900 people and counting have been reported killed by police and vigilantes, with many bodies bearing cardboard signs noting their alleged crimes, mostly drug related.

In fact, the Philippines does suffer from a widespread drug problem. The most commonly used illegal drug is crystal methamphetamine, also called “shabu”[SHA-boo], accounting for nearly 90% of drug seizures in 2014.

Three years prior, the United Nations reported that the Philippines was the largest user of Shabu in East Asia, although the drug itself originates mostly from China.

Chinese criminal syndicates traffic the drug through the Philippines, accounting for its widespread use.

In the most populated metro area of Manila, roughly 92% of the districts are affected by drug use.

But the response by the government and police has been shockingly excessive. Besides widespread murder by civilians, sanctioned by the new president, the police themselves are regularly accused of committing criminal Acts.

In 2014, Amnesty International reported that a secret Philippine prison was discovered where police systematically tortured inmates, even making games out of it.

Many Filipino residents voted for Duterte because of he promised to take a tough stance on the Philippine’s drug war. And since taking office, a whopping 91% of residents surveyed, still support their new President.

But many around the world do not see extrajudicial murder as a solution. Instead, opponents push for drug rehabilitation programs, an eradication of Chinese criminal syndicates, and more accountable policing. But with Duterte in power for the next six years, there is little chance of a ramp down in violence.