Palace downplays 11-point drop in satisfaction with war on drugs

Malacañang on Wednesday downplayed the 11-point drop in public satisfaction with the government’s drug war.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said “a great majority of Filipinos” were still satisfied with the government’s performance in curbing illegal drugs.

“Seventy-eight per cent (78%), a great majority of Filipinos, expressed satisfaction in the government’s performance, notwithstanding the negative criticisms we received here and abroad,” Abella said in a statement.

The Palace official was referring to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, which showed that public net satisfaction rating with the government’s war on drugs declined to +66 in the first quarter of 2017, an 11-point decline and one grade down from the “excellent” +77 that the campaign received in December 2016.

READ: SWS: Public satisfaction with war on drugs falls

The survey held from March 25 to 28 revealed 78 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the war on drugs while 12 percent said they were unsatisfied.

Despite the drop, Abella highlighted that 70 percent of respondents said the administration was serious in solving the issue of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the country.

“Many Filipinos are less worried about their personal safety; as they feel safe and secure in the streets and at home,” he said.

The survey also noted that 73 percent of the respondents said they worried of becoming victims of the EJKs associated with the drug war.

Abella echoed President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement, saying the crackdown on illegal drugs would not stop until the narcotics trade in the country would be destroyed.

Filipinos, he said, “understand and support the campaign against hard drug traffickers and violators.”

“The drive will be relentless until the drug apparatus is rendered inutile; after all what is at stake is the national patrimony, the following generations of Filipinos, who will not only continue our dreams, be our God given social safety net, but also preserve our cultures, our gift to the world,” he said. IDL