Most Pinoys believe slain drug suspects did not resist arrest

MORE than half of Filipinos polled believe that many of those killed in the police’s anti-drug operations did not resist arrest, according to Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The SWS poll, conducted from June 23 to 26, revealed that 54 percent of Filipinos agreed that the suspects killed under the police’s anti- drug operations did not fight back, while 20 percent said they strongly agreed.

A quarter of those surveyed or 25 percent were undecided, while the remaining 20 percent disagreed.

Most of the respondents in Metro Manila, 63 percent, believe that the police killed drug sus- pects even if these did not resist or fought back. Fifty-six percent of those from Luzon shared the same sentiment.

The percentage of those who are convinced that the suspects were killed summarily in the Visayas and Mindanao, on the other hand, are both pegged at 49 percent.

Moreover, 49 percent of Filipinos believe that “many of those killed by the police in the anti- drug campaign are not really drug traffickers.”

Unpopular with the poor

The survey showed that the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign does not sit well with the poorest segment, with 58 percent of Class E and 54 percent of Class D believing that the police killed the suspects even if they did not resist.

Only 40 percent of those in Class A, B and C felt the same way.

Likewise, the SWS survey showed that 50 percent of Filipinos agreed with the statement that some people lie and accuse their enemies as drug users or pushers to have them killed by the police or vigilantes.

“Half of Filipinos agreed with the statement, with a higher rate of agreement in Metro Manila (63 percent), where most of the killings have occurred than the rest of the country. The level of agreement in Mindanao is 51percent; in Visayas, 42 percent; and in the rest of Luzon, 50 percent,” the SWS survey read.

The poll was conducted using faceto-face interviews of 1,200 adults aged 18 years old and above nationwide, with 300 people surveyed in Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, respectively.

The sampling error margin for national percentage is three percent. The sampling error margin for national percentage for Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao is at six percent.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella did not agree with SWS poll questions are suspect.

“It seems that the survey contains leading and pointed questions that may have unduly in - dents,” Abella said.