Defeated presidential candidate Mar Roxas on Monday expressed alarm over the spate of extra-judicial killings heralding the administration of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Roxas stressed that extra-judicial killings only affect poor people, not the rich who can pay for their protection.

"Lahat ng mga extra-judicial na gawaing ito, ang talagang naaapektuhan nito ay iyung mga mahihirap. Kasi ang mayayaman, makakabili ng baril, makaka-hire ng security guard, makakuha ng resbak, may abogado. May access yung mayayaman sa ibang tulong," he said.

Duterte won last month's elections by a big margin largely due to a law-and-order platform in which he pledged to suppress crime within six months by going after tens of thousands of suspected criminals.

He has since offered large bounties to security forces as well as the general public to kill drug traffickers, if necessary.