Duterte fighting drugs 'the right way', says Trump

US president-elect Donald Trump told Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte that Manila was conducting its deadly drug war "the right way", Duterte said on Saturday, in stark contrast to the criticism he received from President Barack Obama.

The Philippine president called Trump late on Friday evening to congratulate him on his election victory with Trump wishing him "success" in his controversial anti-crime crackdown, in which some 4,800 people have been killed since June, according to Duterte.

"He was quite sensitive also to our worry about drugs. And he wishes me well... in my campaign and he said that... we are doing it as a sovereign nation, the right way," Duterte said in a video released by his office on Saturday.