Thousands of protesters gathered at the Philippines House of Representatives as President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his second annual state of the nation address.<br /><br />In a two-hour speech Duterte promised an unrelenting war on drugs, defending a crackdown that has killed thousands of Filipinos. <br /><br />Duterte said critics were wrongly blaming police for most of the deaths and “trivialising” his campaign by talking about the need for due process and to protect human rights.<br /><br />He said that though he valued human life, he needed to tackle “beasts and vultures” that were preying on helpless people and stopping foreign investment from pouring in.<br /><br />The crackdown on drugs is the signature campaign that has defined Duterte’s presidency and caused an international outcry, with rights groups condemning his administration for a campaign that has overwhelmingly targeted drug users from poor communities, and left narcotics kingpins untouched.<br /><br />Duterte also vowed to continue his government’s fight against ISIS-linked militants in the country’s south.<br /><br />He said he would build a military over the next two years that could fight on all fronts by recruiting 35,000-40,000 new soldiers, and buying planes and drones to tackle communist and Islamist rebels.<br /><br />Duterte said security threats had increased in the Philippines and the military needed more troops and more modern equipment to meet those challenges.<br /><br />But, he added, that he was prepared to “wait it out” before retaking Marawi City from Islamic State-inspired rebels holed up there for two months, because protecting civilians and hostages in the conflict zone was of paramount importance.<br />
