President Rodrigo Duterte ended a recent speech in Manila with a now-familiar claim: Two policemen are dying every day in his violent battle to rid the country of illegal drugs.
But police statistics have shown that figure to be exaggerated. From July 1, when Duterte launched his "war on drugs," to Oct. 12, when he spoke in Manila, 13 police officers were killed. That's an average of one every eight days.
This is not the only dubious claim Duterte has used to justify his bloody anti-narcotics campaign, according to a review of official government data and interviews with the president's top anti-drug officials.