MANILA (UPDATED) - President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday announced that he has decided to extend again the term of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa.

Duterte noted that Dela Rosa was supposed to retire this April, but he decided to extend the police chief's term “for a little bit longer.”

“The PNP [chief] now, who’s supposed to retire on the 24th (sic) of April, and because he enjoys my trust and confidence, I will extend his term for a little bit longer, for enough reforms to get hold,” Duterte said in a speech during the induction of the new board of directors of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce Phils. Inc. in Malacañang.

"I still have to institute continuing reforms with the police. And the police has always been a problem. But they are not that many. There are scoundrels, scalawags in every organization."

Duterte last December extended Dela Rosa’s tour of duty for three months.

• Duterte to extend PNP chief’s tour of duty

Meanwhile, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Dela Rosa's term may be extended again for three more months.

The PNP chief, who is a member of PMA Class '86, was supposed to retire last January 21 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56. His extended term was set to end on April 21.

The announcement came weeks after the PNP returned to the government’s war on drugs in December 2017 and relaunched its controversial Oplan Tokhang in January 2018. - with a report from Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News