Fifty-one percent of Filipinos believe that former President Rodrigo Duterte should be held accountable for the drug-related killings that took place under his leadership, a recent Social Weather Stations survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group showed.
The survey also showed that 25 percent disagree on the matter, 14 percent remainundecided, and 10 percent say they do not have enough information to form an opinion.
Despite the strong presence of Duterte supporters on social media, the survey revealed a striking regional divide.
The Visayas, long considered a Duterte stronghold, recorded the highest percentage of respondents who believe he should be held accountable.
Mindanao, considered as Duterte’s bailiwick, showed that 47 percent are in favor that Duterte must answer for the extrajudicial killings linked to his anti-drug campaign.
Stratbase Group President Dindo Manhit underscored the importance of the result, emphasizing that no one is indeed above the law.
“Accountability is the bedrock of any democratic society. No leader, regardless of position or influence, should be above the law. Holding government leaders accountable is not about political vendetta; it is about ensuring that justice prevails in our country,” Manhit said.
The survey, conducted from February 15 to 19, 2025, interviewed 1,800 respondents nationwide and has a ±2% margin of error.
In an OCTA Research survey last year, more than half of Filipinos said they are in favor of the Philippines rejoining the ICC.
The “Tugon ng Masa” survey showed that 59 percent agree it is time for the country to work with the ICC again as opposed to 41 percent who thought otherwise.
The same survey also found that 55 percent of Filipinos are in favor of the government cooperating with the ICC to investigate drug-related killings during the Duterte administration, against the 45 percent who disagreed.
Highest support was recorded in Balance Luzon (65 percent) and the lowest was in Mindanao (42 percent).
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “More Filipinos agree Duterte accountable for drug war killings.”