Dela Rosa: PNP ready to return to war on drugs

Rodrigo Duterte remained the “most approved and trusted” high-ranking government official, despite criticisms hurled against him because of his ardent policies and supposed illgotten wealth, the pollster Pulse Asia found on its September 24 to 30 survey.

Pulse Asia’s poll results revealed that the President still enjoyed a “big majority” approval and trust scores, which were both at 80 percent.

Duterte’s approval and trust ratings fell by just two-percentage points and one-percentage point, respectively, from the previous scores registered in June.

“Amid the various issued being faced by his administration, President Rodrigo R. Duterte manages to retain his big majority approval and trust ratings (both at 80 percent),” Pulse Asia said in a statement.

The survey found that only seven percent expressed “disapproval” against Duterte and six percent had “small or no trust” in him.

The President posted the highest approval score in his bailiwick in Mindanao at 92 percent, followed by Visayas (86 percent), Manila (76 percent), and Luzon (72 percent).

He also obtained majority approval ratings in Class E (86 percent), Class D (79 percent), and Class ABC (75 percen t ) .

Duterte likewise secured the highest trust rating in Mindanao, which was recorded at 93 percent. It was followed by Visayas (86 percent), Manila (76 percent), and Luzon (72 percent).

Trust scores in Classes ABC, D, and E were also high at 74 percent, 80 percent, and 85 percent respectively.

‘Enormous appreciation, trust still there despite demolition job vs. Duterte’

Reacting to poll results, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella welcomed the public’s “enormous” approval and trust conferred on Duterte, despite the “demolition job” against him and his family as well.

“The Palace welcomes the results of latesT Pulse Asia’s nationwide survey on the performance and trust rating of top Philippine government officials,” Abella said in a press conference.

“Take note, the survey [was] conducted last September 24 to 30th, at the height of demolition job against the President, even implicating some members of the President’s family… It’s just an attempt to shake the foundation. But apparently, as the Pulse Asia rating has shown, there seems to be enormous amount of appreciation for the President,” he added.

During the conduct of Pulse Asia survey, Duterte’s son and son-inlaw, Davao City Mayor Paolo Duterte and lawyer Manases Carpio, was accused of being behind the so-called “Davao Group” that was linked to the reported smuggling and corruption hounding the Bureau of Cu st om s.

It was also conducted after Duterte threatened the Office of the Ombudsman to create an independent commission that will investigate its alleged irregularities. His warning came amid the anti-graft body’s investigation into his family’s alleged ill-gotten wealth.

The survey also covered the President’s accusation that his staunch critic, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, owned severall offshore bank accounts and his admission that he “invented” lawmaker’s bank account in Singapore to trick him.

The public’s outcry over the deaths of minors because of Duterte’s deadly crackdown on illegal drugs also dominated the news when Pulse Asia carried out the poll.

Amid some Filipino people’s disapproval earned by Duterte, Abella said the current administration would remain committed to pushing for a “comfortable life” for all by attaining its goal to have an “environment free from illegal drugs and criminality.”

“Despite the multi-faceted political noise, President Duterte is still the most approved and the most trusted government official in the Philippines today, with an 80 percent approval rating and 80 percent trust rating,” Abella said.

“We hope this survey results inspire us in the government, that despite the odds and challenges, we continue to provide a comfortable life for all Filipinos, in an environment free from illegal drugs and criminality. This is the way we return the overwhelming confidence and trust bestowed by our people on the President,” he added.

‘Robredo, Pimentel also enjoyed public’s approval, trust’

Apart from Duterte, Pulse Asia said Vice President Leni Robredo and Senate President Aqulino Pimentel III managed to enjoy majority approval and trust scor es.

Robredo posted a 57 percent approval rating and 55 percent trust rating while Pimentel enjoyed approval and trust scores of 55 percent and 52 percent, respectively.

On the other hand, the poll found that “indecision” is the plurality sentiment toward the perfomance of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Alvarez’approval and trust ratings were recorded at 33 percent and 31 percent, respectively, while Sereno got an approval and trust scores of 35 percent and 31 percent, respectively.

Pulse Asia interviewed 1,200 adult Filipinos using an error marging ±3 percentage points at the 95 percent level. Subnational estimates for each of Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have a ± 6 percentage points error margin at 95 percent confidence level. (Ruth Abbey Gita/ SunStar Philippines) PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald Dela Rosa said Friday that he will not hesitate to ask President Rodrigo Duterte to allow them to return to the government's campaign against illegal drugs if the narcotics problem continues to escalate.

"Pakiramdam ko when things get worse and talagang hindi kakayanin so kailangan sabihin ko sa kanya siguro sir pabalikin mo na kami, kawawa naman 'yung pamilya natin,"

[I feel like when things get worse and they seem not to manage it anymore I will ask the President to let us go back in the war on drugs, let us spare our families.]

"Ako na ang aapela siguro if the time comes," he added.

[I will personally appeal to the President if the time comes.]

On Tuesday, Duterte issued a memorandum designating the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) as the sole agency in charge of the government's campaign against the narcotics trade.

The President issued the order amid the latest 18point drop in his satisfaction rating.

Dela Rosa said he spoke with Duterte about the matter and he told them to "stop" cooperating in the war on drugs due to the negative perception of the public on the police.

He said Duterte, however, did not give them a timeline on how long they would not participate in the war on drugs which had been the focus of the 185,000-strong PNP in the past 15 months.

Asked to assess the PNP in implementing the war on drugs, Dela Rosa said it was challenging but he believed they were successful considering that the supply of illegal drugs on the street had significantly decreased.

"Sa totoo lang kasi ang basehan natin sa success or failure ng war on drugs is babalik tayo sa supply and demand kung bumaba or tumaas ‘yung demand. Actually pawala ng ‘yung drugs. Na-dismantle na natin ‘yung mga drug laboratories, floating shabu laboratories sa dagat na nahuli natin and hirap na sila magpasok ng mga precursors dito,” he said.

[The truth is, the basis of our success or failure in the war on drugs is the supply and demand or if the demand increased or decreased. Actually, the illegal drugs could have gone on the streets. We have already dismantled the drug laboratories, floating shabu laboratory in the ocean which made the drugs lords hard for them to bring their precursors in the country.]

"Kung sana hindi lang nakalusot sa customs wala na sanang drugs na makapasok dito kasi wala nang local manufacturers. Hirap sila dahil lahat nagbabantay na. Isang text ka lang huli na ‘yung laboratory mo... Kung wala nang nakalusot ganda na sana nito (war on drugs),” he added.

[If only the illegal drugs were not able to sneak in through the customs, the illegal drugs might have been gone because there are no longer local manufacturers here. They are already finding it hard to manufacture here because with a single text message you can be nabbed. If not because of it the war on drugs could have been very successful.)

Dela Rosa was referring to the P6.4-billion worth of illegal drugs smuggled from China that was recovered in a warehouse in Valenzuela City after having been able to pass through the Bureau of Customs.

Asked what the PNP could have done wrong which drew the public's negative perception, he said it was the "overexposure" of the mess made by the Caloocan police.

All police officers assigned at the Caloocan City Police Office were relieved in September after irregularities in their operations were revealed including the killings of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos and 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz.

Delos Santos was killed during an anti-illegal drugs operation on August 16 in Barangay 160, while Arnaiz was killed allegedly after a robbery try.

Policemen involved in the killing of the two teenagers all claimed that they engaged the policemen in a firefight although pieces of evidence and witnesses reportedly told the other way around.

The Caloocan police also became under fire after some of their men conduct an illegal search in a residential house.

In a surveillance video released on September 7, armed policemen assigned at the Caloocan Police Community Precinct 4, accompanied by a minor and a person with disability, was seen entering a house where they took valuables amounting to P30,000.

The house owner, a 51-year-old woman who refused to be identified, believed that she was implicated by an arrested drug suspect who was also seen in the video pointing her house to the police.

However, Dela Rosa expressed dismay that only the negative issues involving that the police do are being r epor t ed.

"The world is so unfair for us," he said citing the case of a policeman in Caloocan who was stabbed by a suspect who he tried to arrest.

Based on the record of the PDEA, From July 1 to August 29 a total of 3,811 drug suspects were killed while 107,156 others were arrested during the conduct of over 70,854 anti-illegal drugs operations.

The PNP had repeatedly said that drugs suspects are being killed as they are engaging authorities in a firefight which prompted his men to retaliate.

A survey conducted by the Social Weather Station, however, showed that 54 percent or six out of ten respondents do not believe in the PNP’s claim.