MANILA - Malacañang on Thursday clarified that justice will be pursued for victims of “police excesses”, after President Rodrigo Duterte said there can be no justice for the families of drug suspects killed in the government’s war on drugs.

Duterte earlier this week said he will not allow families of slain drug suspects to obtain justice, even as human rights groups say police have been deliberately killing helpless people.

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Government critics say the police usually claim that slain drug suspects fought it out (nanlaban) with the police even though there was little to no proof that they really did.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte was referring to the families of those slain drug suspects who were caught in the act of selling drugs and eventually slain by cops.

"He obviously referred to cases involving 'b***t’. It does not involve victims who are otherwise victims of police excesses,” Roque said in a press briefing, referring to the President’s quote on the matter.

"Anong mga katarungan ang ibibigay mo kung nanlaban ang napatay? Iyung mga nagbebenta ng droga, nahuli in the act, napatay dahil nanlaban, yun ang sinasabi ng presidente. Wala kang makukuhang katarungan doon eh dahil it’s a lawful use of force.”

(What kind of justice will you get if you fought it out with the police? The President was referring to those who were killed after being caught selling drugs. You can’t seek justice for that because that was a lawful use of force.)

A conservative estimate by the police put the death toll in the war on drugs at over 4,000, but human rights groups say this is grossly understated.

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Duterte has lashed out at any criticism of his war on drugs, telling the police to continue with their anti-drug operations.