Philippines Duterte extends term of top cop leading his deadly war on drugs

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday he would extend the tour of duty of the country's police chief "a little bit longer" to carry out reforms in a law enforcement agency at the forefront of his war on drugs.

Ronald dela Rosa, director-general of the Philippine National Police (PNP), was supposed to step down upon reaching the retirement age of 56 in January but Duterte had asked him to stay on for three more months until April.

But the president said he would keep the stocky, fiercely loyal general, nicknamed "Bato" (Rock), beyond that date.

"I still have to institute continuing reforms with the police, and police has always been a problem," Duterte said in a speech at an event with businessmen.

He said there were "scoundrels and scalawags in every organization" and he needed dela Rosa to finish the job of cleaning up the police.

"Because he enjoys my trust and confidence, I will extend his term for a little bit longer," he said, without saying how much longer.

Source: Yahoo News