SWS: Most Filipinos think cops into drugs, EJKs, planting evidence

MANILA, Philippines — More than half of Filipinos believe that some police officers are involved in the illegal drug trade, extrajudicial killings (EJKs), and are often planting evidence against drug suspects, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed.

According to the survey results, which were released on Wednesday, 68 percent of Filipinos believe that allegations that police officers are involved in the illegal drug trade — with 29 percent of them tagging the accusation as “definitely true” and 39 percent of them tagging it as “probably true.” Only 5 percent said the accusation was “definitely or probably not true,” while 26 percent said they were undecided.

On the issue of police officers being involved in the extrajudicial killing of suspects, 66 percent believed this to be true — with 28 percent of them tagging the accusation as “definitely true” and 38 percent tagging it as “probably true.” Again, only 5 percent believed the accusation to be “definitely or probably not true,” while 28 percent said they were undecided.

Lastly, 57 percent believed that police officers often plant evidence against arrested suspects — with 22 percent tagging the accusation as “definitely true” and 35 percent tagging it as “probably true.” Only 9 percent believed otherwise, while 33 percent said they were undecided.

The survey was conducted from Dec. 16 to 19, 2018, through face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults nationwide — 360 respondents each in Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.

It has a sampling error margin of ±2.6 percent for national percentages and ±5 percent each for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The SWS said it presented respondents with the questions:

“Here are some accusations against policemen. In your opinion, are these accusations Definitely true, Probably true, Undecided if true or not, Probably not true, Definitely not true, or Don’t know enough to give an opinion regarding this? Accusation that some policemen are involved in the extrajudicial killings of alleged suspects in the drug trade.

“Here are some accusations against policemen. In your opinion, are these accusations Definitely true, Probably true, Undecided if true or not, Probably not true, Definitely not true, or Don’t know enough to give an opinion regarding this? Accusation that some policemen are involved in the illegal drug trade.

“Here are some accusations against policemen. In your opinion, are these accusations Definitely true, Probably true, Undecided if true or not, Probably not true, Definitely not true, or Don’t know enough to give an opinion regarding this? Accusation that some policemen often plant evidence against suspects they arrest.”

The results of the survey were released after President Rodrigo Duterte vowed a “harsher” drug war in the coming days.

READ: Duterte: Drug war will be ‘harsher in the days to come’

“And I am declaring war. I am not declaring a punitive police action. It cannot help and it would not help. So early on I decided but I think I’d be more — well I said harsher in the days to come,” the President said during a speech in Malacañang last week.

The President’s statement generated objections from the Commission on Human Rights and other public officials. /atm

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