Col. Romeo Caramat oversaw the bloodiest day in the blood-soaked war on drugs in the Philippines: 32 people killed in 24 hours in the province north of Manila where he was police chief in 2017.

Now the head of drug enforcement for the Philippine National Police, Caramat said that ultraviolent approach to curbing illicit drugs had not been effective.

"Shock and awe definitely did not work," he said in an interview, speaking out for the first time on the issue. "Drug supply is still rampant."