PNP Chief Dela Rosa & PDEA Director Lapeña lead the destruction of P1.77 B worth of dangerous drugs. @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/E7R0g6RAjF

— Maan Macapagal (@maan_macapagal) July 14, 2016

MANILA – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa on Thursday vowed that there will be no letup in President Rodrigo Duterte's war on illegal drugs.

Dela Rosa, who once served as police chief in Duterte's hometown Davao City, expressed confidence that the administration will win the war on drugs.

''In the days ahead, the campaign to win the war against drugs will continue,'' Dela Rosa said.

''Wala ng atrasan ito. We started strong in this war and we will finish stronger."

Dela Rosa and Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority Director General Isidro Lapeña led the destruction of P1.77 billion worth of illegal drugs at a facility in Trece Martirez, Cavite on Thursday.

WATCH: Bato and Lapeña destroy illegal drugs at the Integrated Waste Management, Trece Martirez Cavite. @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/6Gk6JkBcLR

— Maan Macapagal (@maan_macapagal) July 14, 2016

Stamping out the illegal drug trade in the country has been Duterte's priority.

But the war on drugs has not been without blood.

The PNP said 103 people have died in police operations to combat illegal drugs between May 10 and July 3, 2016.

But the number of drug-related fatalities in police operations during the same period was fifty percent higher, at 154, in a separate tally by ABS-CBN's Investigative and Research Group, culled from PNP regional websites and news reports of various agencies.

In all, ABS-CBN monitored 311 drug-related fatalities between May 10 and July 11, 2016.- report from Maan Macapagal, ABS-CBN News