Palace: ‘Drug war’ satisfaction rating a loud repudiation of Duterte critics

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang welcomed Monday the results of a recent survey showing that 8 in 10 Filipinos are satisfied with President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, calling it a “loud and clear repudiation” of the administration’s critics.

“Once again, this is a loud and clear repudiation of the rambunctious political opposition and cantankerous detractors of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his Administration who continue to spread lies and fake narratives to taint the significant headways of the current government,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

This too, according to Panelo, should serve as a “wake-up call against foreign countries and entities to take their cue from the genuine sentiments of the Filipino people and cease from their continuous affront against our sovereign state with their pretended or feigned concern about human rights.”

According to the Social Weather Station (SWS), 79 percent of Filipinos said they are satisfied with the campaign while 15 percent said they are dissatisfied. A mere 6 percent, meanwhile, said they are undecided.

However, the controversial campaign’s net satisfaction was a slight drop to +64 in September 2019 since it was lower than the +70 rating it garnered in June and March 2019.

The rating also dropped from “excellent” to “very good”, SWS said.

Since Duterte launched his war on drugs in 2016, at least 5,500 drug suspects were killed in anti-drug operations, according to data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. However, human rights groups said that as much as 27,000 people have been killed under the brutal drug war.

Edited by KGA