51 percent of Filipinos say Duterte must answer for drug killings

Five out of 10 Filipinos believe that former President Rodrigo Duterte should be held accountable for the drug-related killings that happened during his term, according to a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group.

The results of the SWS survey conducted from Feb. 15 to Feb. 19 showed that 51 percent of Filipinos agree that Duterte must be made liable for the drug-related killings during his presidency. Of this number, 32 percent “strongly agree” while 19 percent “somewhat agree.”

Strongly felt sentiment

This sentiment was strongest in the Visayas at 62 percent (46 percent strongly agree, 16 percent somewhat agree), followed by Luzon outside Metro Manila at 49 percent (28 percent strongly agree, 21 percent somewhat agree) and Mindanao—where Duterte’s hometown is located—at 47 percent (31 percent strongly agree, 16 percent somewhat agree). Metro Manila recorded the lowest level of agreement at 45 percent (26 percent strongly agree, 19 percent somewhat agree).

On the other hand, 25 percent of the respondents (16 percent strongly disagree, 9 percent somewhat disagree) disagree with holding Duterte liable for the drug war killings. The highest level of disagreement was in Metro Manila at 33 percent (22 percent strongly disagree, 11 percent somewhat disagree), followed by Mindanao at 28 percent (21 percent strongly disagree, 7 percent somewhat disagree), Luzon outside Metro Manila at 25 percent (13 percent strongly disagree, 12 percent somewhat disagree) and the Visayas at 17 percent (12 percent strongly disagree, 5 percent somewhat disagree).

Others undecided

Of all the respondents, 14 percent remain undecided on the issue, while 10 percent said they do not know enough to form an opinion.

The SWS survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,800 registered voters. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.31 percent for national percentages, plus or minus 3.27 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila and plus or minus 5.66 percent each for Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao.

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On March 11, Duterte was arrested by the International Criminal Police Organization, with the assistance of the Philippine National Police, based on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The 79-year-old is the first former Asian head of state to face charges before the ICC. He is accused of committing crimes against humanity from his time as Davao mayor until 2019.

Government data reports at least 6,000 deaths during Duterte’s war on drugs, though human rights groups and the ICC prosecutor estimate the real number to be between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019.