7 in 10 Pinoys worry about becoming EJK victims – SWS

Seven in 10 Filipinos have expressed worries about becoming victims of extrajudicial killings, results of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) special report on the government’s anti-drug campaign showed on Thursday.

In the nationwide survey conducted among 1,200 respondents last June 23-26, 73 percent (41 percent “very worried,” 32 percent “somewhat worried”) are worried that they, or anyone they know, will be a victim of extrajudicial killing.

Meanwhile, 13 percent said they are “not too worried” and 14 percent answered “not worried at all.”

Around the country, Filipinos in all areas were worried about getting victimized by extrajudicial killing. The highest proportion came from Visayas at 77 percent (48 percent very worried, 29 percent somewhat worried). That is followed by Mindanao at 75 percent (46 percent very worried, 29 percent somewhat worried).

Filipinos in Metro Manila followed, at 73 percent (34 percent very worried, 40 percent somewhat worried). And rest of Luzon recorded 70 percent (37 percent very worried, 33 percent somewhat worried).

During the same survey period, SWS found 90 percent of the population saying it is important to capture drug suspects alive (68 percent “very important,” 22 percent “somewhat important”).

It is statistically the same as the 92 percent (66 percent very important, 26 percent somewhat important) in March 2017. It was 94 percent in both the September 2016 and December 2016 surveys.

Captured alive The highest proportion of those saying drug suspects should be captured alive came from Metro Manila at 95 percent (77 percent very important, 18 percent somewhat important). That was followed by Visayas at 90 percent (68 percent very important, 22 percent somewhat important). The rest of Luzon recorded 90 percent (67 percent very important, 22 percent somewhat important); and Mindanao at 86 percent (64 percent very important, 22 percent somewhat important).

Seriousness The respondents were also asked about their opinions regarding the administration’s seriousness in solving the problem of extrajudicial killings in the country.

Thirty-three percent answered that the Duterte administration is “very serious,” 30 percent said “somewhat serious,” and 23 percent were “undecided if serious or not serious.”

Meanwhile, nine percent said the government is “somewhat not serious,” and five percent answered “not serious at all” in stopping extrajudicial killings.

SWS noted that this compares to March 2017, when 34 percent answered very serious, 36 percent somewhat serious, 22 percent undecided if serious or not serious, 5 percent somewhat not serious, and 4 percent not serious at all.

Belief in the Duterte administration’s seriousness to solve the problem on extrajudicial killings is highest in the Visayas at 68 percent (44 percent very serious, 24 percent somewhat serious), followed by the rest of Luzon at 64 percent (29 percent very serious, 35 percent somewhat serious), Metro Manila at 62 percent (31 percent very serious, 31 percent somewhat serious), and Mindanao at 59 percent 34 percent very serious, 25 percent somewhat serious).

SWS reiterated that the series of surveys on the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs and on extrajudicial killings are non-commissioned and that they were included in SWS’s own initiative and released as a public service.