Palace finds ‘ugly truth’ in SWS finding on antidrug war

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO (FILE)

Malacañang on Tuesday said that the finding of a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey that 60 percent of Filipinos believed that only poor people were being killed in President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs was “an ugly truth.”

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Mr. Duterte was dealing with the matter to ensure that the poor would not fall victim to abusive or murderous policemen.

“It’s an ugly truth that that is the case. However, that’s exactly why the President is allowing now for full investigation so that those who can defend themselves less have more in terms of the backing of law,” Abella said in a press briefing.

He noted that the government had sacked and ordered the retraining of more than 1,100 Caloocan police officers after the killing of Kian Loyd delos Santos and other young people in the city.

“This is exactly why policemen are being retrained. That’s exactly why they are relieved of position,” Abella said.

“It’s being addressed. Let us not be myopic. Let us not focus on these small [things]. Let us look at what the President is doing in general and he’s truly addressing it,” he added.