Half of Pinoys doubt cops on ‘nanlaban’ drug deaths

Nearly half of Filipinos believe many of those killed by the police in anti-drug operations were not really drug pushers, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said in its latest survey.

Taken from June 23 to 26, the poll found 49 percent of respondents believed that the victims were not drug pushers, 23 percent disagreed and 27 percent were undecided on the matter.

Belief in the innocence of those killed by police was higher in Metro Manila at 58 percent, followed by the Visayas at 52 percent, the rest of Luzon at 48 percent, and Mindanao at 45 percent.

With regard to socioeconomic class, it was lowest among class ABC at 38 percent, followed by class E at 45 percent and class D at 51 percent.

The poll also showed that false accusations of drug involvement were believed to be the cause of many police killings. Half or 50 percent agreed with the statement.

The higher rate of agreement was recorded in Metro Manila (63 percent), where most of the killings have occurred, than the rest of the country.

The level of agreement in Mindanao was 51 perlice

cent; in the Visayas, 42 percent; and in the rest of Luzon, 50 percent.

The survey also showed 54 percent of Filipinos who think that many of those killed by the police did not really fight back (nanlaban).

A quarter (25 percent) of the respondents were undecided, while the remaining 20 percent disagreed.

Incredulity over the “nanlaban” reason is highest in Metro Manila, where 63 percent of the population believe that many of those killed did not really fight back against the police.

It is slightly lower in the rest of Luzon at 56 percent and in the Visayas and Mindanao, both at 49 percent.

The very poor are more likely to disbelieve the “nanlaban” reason for killings attributed to the police, the SWS noted.

Among those in class E, 58 percent agreed with the statement. It was 54 percent in class D or the masa, and 40 percent in class ABC.

The Second Quarter 2017 Social Weather Survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults 18 years old and above nationwide.

It has sampling error margins of plus or minus three percentage points for national percentages.

Koko: PNP’s credibility nil

Trust in and credibility of the Philippine National Pothe (PNP) are also plummeting in the eyes of senators due to the rising incidence of unsolved extrajudicial killings in the country, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said yesterday.

Pimentel, an ally of President Dueterte, challenged PNP to show “it has the minimum skills and capability to solve at least some of these crimes, if not all.”

He said what is saddening is that the PNP could not solve even one of the thousands of EJKs.

He has not heard of any report that the PNP has solved any of these killings. If so, “then they should resort to the media, and announce their rare achievement.”

“I feel here in the Senate, that trust in the PNP, credibility in the PNP is nil, plummeting and disappearing,” he added.

Pimentel also said the right attitude Filipinos should take is to condemn EJKs “whether the victim is an adult or a minor.”

“We should not be angry just because the one killed is a minor. Every Filipino life is important. Hence we should not be happy if there are extrajudicial killings, unsolved killings,” he added.

PNP questions survey

The PNP, however, questioned the results of the survey.

PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos yesterday said the deaths of 82 police officers and three soldiers in anti-drug operations are proof that drug suspects fought back.

He said if there was no resistance, how come 85 policemen and soldiers died and 204 others were wounded in operations since President Duterte started his war on drugs last year?

“It only shows that there was resistance and danger because we lost lives,” he added.

The PNP reported that 3,850 drug suspects were killed in police operation, while 107,156 suspected drug pushers and users were arrested as of Sept. 16.

Carlos also said the survey result came about by perception that drug personalities are being killed despite not putting up a fight with the police.

“Was that question already a fact or an impression?” Carlos said. “So they will believe because it’s based on perception and the way the question was asked.”

Carlos also maintained that the PNP is not tolerating abuses committed by police officers. –