Malacañang on Sunday expressed elation over the recent Pulse Asia survey showing that over 80 percent of residents of Metro Manila feel safer in the streets as a result of the administration’s war on illegal drugs.
The administration’s drug war is well-received by the people on the ground in sharp contrast to the gloom and hopelessness depicted by the President’s critics,” Presidential Spokesman ErnestoAbella said. “©”©
“This favorable public sentiment gives us strong impetus to surge ahead in our anti-drug campaign and hope that we continually get the cooperation of the community, and even support of the clergy, especially in the implementation of a rehabilitation program for Tokhang surrenderees,” Abella said.
Over 82 percent of Metro Manila residents said they “feel safer” due to the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs , the National Capital Region Police Office said based on the Pulse Asia survey.
The survey was conducted from Dec. 6 to 11, 2016, five months after President Rodrigo Duterte declared war on drugs. Respondents were randomly selected and were asked to comment on this statement: “Compared to last year, I feel that it is less dangerous now in our place because of the campaign against illegal drugs.”
NCRPO chief Director Oscar Albayalde expressed gratitude about the survey result.
“Siguro yung ating mga kababayan, nakita for the first five months nung paglunsad nung ating war on drugs na talagang nakita naman po nila na tumahimik yung ating mga kalansanga. Of course nakita rin nila yung accomplishment not only in NCR pero ng buong PNP [Philippine National Police],” Albayalde said Saturday in an interview on dzBB.
Duterte suspended the Philippine National Police’s role in the drug war after the death of South Korean national Jee Ick Joo, who was allegedly abducted and killed inside the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame by anti-drug operatives.
On Duterte’s order, the PNP relaunched last March 6 its anti-illegal drug campaign dubbed, “Double Barrel Reloaded, Tokhang Revisited.”
But Duterte administration’s war on drugs drew heavy criticisms from the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, for the hundreds of drug suspects killed in police operation and in vigilante-style killings mostly carried out by motorcycle-riding and masked gunmen.
Albayalde, meanwhile, assured Metro Manila residents that the NCRPO will continue to fulfill their duties in the drug war, and will serve the result of the Pulse Asia survey as their “driving force.”
“We will take this accomplishment as one of our basis and guide to improve our performance, to address the security demands of the public, and to pursue our transformation program,” he said in a statement released on Friday.
He also pledged to address the complaints of the public accordingly.
“The fulfillment of the service that we render to the public is the acceptance of the public of our services, as we have always emphasized that policing is not just our responsibility but the community as well,” Albayalde said.
“The response they provided in this survey reflects their concerns. We will innovate and do more until we get to 100 percent,” he added.