IN A survey done in June 2017, the Social Weather Stations asked 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above nationwide how they felt about this statement: “Many of those killed by the police in the anti-drug campaign did not really fight against the police.”
Margin of error is +/- 3 percent for national percentages.
More than half agreed that those killed did not really put up a fight. In fact, 20 percent strongly agree and 34 percent somewhat agree. The number is higher among the masses, with 58 percent of those in class E agreeing with the statement.
In Metro Manila—63 percent either somewhat or wrongly agree.
As to the statement “Many of those killed by the police in the anti-drug campaign are not really drug pushers,” 49 percent agree. Another 27 percent are undecided; only 23 percent agree. In Metro Manila, 58 percent do not think that many who have been killed were drug pushers.
In yet another survey by yet another polling firm, President Rodrigo Duterte and his campaign against illegal drugs appear to enjoy the majority’s support.
US polling firm Pew Research Center conducted face-to-face interviews with 1,000 respondents across the country. The poll, done between February 26 and May 8 this year, had a margin of error of 4.3 percent.
According to Pew, 86 percent of respondents have a favorable view of President Duterte, and 78 percent approve of his handling of the illegal drug problem.
Further, 62 percent believe that the government is making progress in its campaign against illegal drugs, 21 percent say it is the same as in the past, while 15 percent say it is losing ground.
It is helpful to note that these surveys were conducted before the August 2017 killing of 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos at the hands of Caloocan City police. After Kian came several other teenagers who died under mysterious circumstances. These deaths enraged the public; it would be interesting to know how many could have changed their minds in response to these statements after this.
At first blush, the numbers seem to defy logic. Why would a government campaign still enjoy overwhelming support from the people when a significant percentage—at least half—of them believe that many of those who died were not really drug dealers and did not really fight back?
Does this mean that Filipinos condone irregular methods about the President’s war? It cannot be that we do not know; it can only be that we know, and yet approve. The international community seems to know and not approve—just this week, 39 countries expressed serious concern about human rights violations here.
The next few months will be a test for the administration that is convinced it is doing the right thing, and for the people who say they feel safe in their neighborhoods despite what they say they know.
At the very least we know that respondents, and by extension the rest of the country, are aware of what is truly going on. What they choose to do, or not do, about this awareness is their personal choice.