Filipinos show overwhelming backing for Duterte’s actions
Print Edition
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte’s popularity has soared during his first three months in office, an independent survey showed yesterday, in an apparent endorsement by Filipinos of his crime war.
The United States, the United Nations and the European Union have led condemnation of Duterte’s unprecedented crime crackdown, which has left more than 3,000 people dead and raised fears of mass extrajudicial killings.
However, 76 percent of Filipinos polled by Social Weather Stations said they were “satisfied” with Duterte’s performance, with just 11 percent reporting being “dissatisfied” and the rest undecided.
“The president seems to be off on a very good start,” his spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters. “The people trust what he is doing.”
The Manila-based polling group surveyed 1,200 adults nationwide from September 24-27, asking them about Duterte’s performance as president without reference to the drug war.
According to “BusinessWorld,” which published the Social Weather Stations survey, only one other president has enjoyed higher popularity ratings three months into their presidency since democracy was restored in 1986 following the fall of dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
That president was Fidel Ramos, who led the nation from 1992 to 1998 and is now one of Duterte’s chief allies.
Duterte, a provincial politician, stormed to victory largely on his pledge to eradicate crime in six months. He promised that tens of thousands of people would be killed in his crime crackdown, and that he would pardon himself and police if they were charged with mass murder. Since taking office on June 30, Duterte has continued his threats and incitements to kill, while unleashing abusive tirades at his critics.
Last week, he said he would be “happy to slaughter” 3 million drug addicts, as he likened his crime war to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s efforts to exterminate Jews.
Duterte has said he is not breaking any laws, insisting that police are killing only in self-defense and many of the other deaths are a result of gang violence. Duterte has also threatened to break the Philippines’ decades-old alliance with the US, its former colonial ruler, because of Washington’s criticism over the crime war.
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