{"id":232155,"date":"2019-09-24T00:46:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-24T04:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=232155"},"modified":"2019-09-24T00:46:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-24T04:46:00","slug":"take-cue-from-filipinos-sentiments-on-drug-war-critics-told","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/09\/24\/take-cue-from-filipinos-sentiments-on-drug-war-critics-told\/","title":{"rendered":"Take cue from Filipinos\u2019 sentiments on drug war, critics told"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made this comment after the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released its second quarter survey which showed that 82% of Filipinos are satisfied with the government\u2019s drug war while 12% were dissatisfied and only 6% were undecided. (File Photo:<\/a> PDEA Top Stories\/Facebook<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA<\/strong>\u00a0— Critics of the Duterte administration\u2019s anti-illegal drug campaign should take their cue from Filipinos who believe otherwise, Malaca\u00f1ang said on Monday.<\/p>\n

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made this comment after the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released its second quarter survey which showed that 82% of Filipinos are satisfied with the government\u2019s drug war while 12% were dissatisfied and only 6% were undecided.<\/p>\n

He said the survey results are the Palace\u2019s response to critics who believe the drug war is marred by police abuses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is our response to the critics. The survey shows 82% and it has been unchanged\u2026Anong ibig sabihin<\/em>\u00a0(What does that mean)? These are the people who know the circumstances on the ground,\u201d Panelo said in a Palace briefing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the respondents asked by SWS.\u00a0Kung talagang may problema tayo sa pag-aabuso, lalabas sa<\/em>\u00a0survey\u00a0\u2018yun<\/em>\u00a0(If there really are problems of abuse, it will reflect on the survey),\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

In a statement issued after the briefing, Panelo said it should also serve as a \u201crefutal\u201d against those countries that express \u201ctheir pretended concern\u201d over the drug war but fail to consider Filipinos\u2019 preference in addressing the social ills of the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is once again a loud and clear repudiation of the incorrigible opposition and vocal detractors of the President and his administration who continue to spread lies and taint the reputation of the current government,\u201d Panelo said in a statement.<\/p>\n

He pointed out that the President\u2019s approval ratings also remained high despite criticisms against him.<\/p>\n

The right path<\/strong><\/p>\n

Panelo also dismissed claims that Duterte being a \u201cgood speaker\u201d may have convinced people into believing the drug war.<\/p>\n

\u201cKahit kako pinakamagaling na<\/em>\u00a0speaker\u00a0\u2018yan sa buong mundo pareho na ni<\/em>\u00a0Mr. Marcos,\u00a0kung ang<\/em>\u00a0reality\u00a0mo sa<\/em>\u00a0ground\u00a0may abuso, tatanggalin ka gaya ng ginawa sa kanya<\/em>\u00a0(Even if he is the best speaker in the world like former President Ferdinand Marcos, if there are abuses, he would be removed just like him),\u201d Panelo said in a Palace briefing.<\/p>\n

Martial law under the Marcos regime was remembered for its record of human rights abuses particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, and others who fought against the administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur people have spoken, and indeed, they have felt the genuine change brought about by the leadership of PRRD, coming from the fact that the most common reason given by the respondents who expressed satisfaction in favor of the campaign against illegal drugs is that \u2018drug suspects have lessened,\u2019\u201d Panelo said.<\/p>\n

He encouraged critics to \u201ctake a cue from our people’s sentiments, start having an appreciation of the efforts of a tireless Chief Executive, and contribute in building a safe, secure and prosperous nation.\u201dThe Palace official, meanwhile, said Duterte insisted on maintaining a relentless drug war because he knew he was on the right path.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlam niyang tama ang ginagawa niya at nakikita mo yung tao e suportado siya<\/em>\u00a0(He knows he\u2019s doing the right thing and you can see how people support him),\u201d Panelo said.<\/p>\n

\u2018Drug war is legit, effective\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Presidential Communication Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar welcomed the survey as \u201ctimely and relevant\u201d especially at a time when opposition has \u201cresurrected\u201d the issue of extrajudicial killings.<\/p>\n

Andanar said, \u201cno form of investigation from outsiders or critics is warranted to probe the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people themselves are saying that it is a legitimate and effective way to attain peace and lift the poor from poverty,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He asked critics to \u201clearn from the results of the survey, engage with the people, and embrace the sweeping tide of change that has swept the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a call to all the opposition to finally stop politicizing this campaign, and instead, look at how the anti-drug war has made the people\u2019s lives better,\u201d Andanar said.<\/p>\n

The PCOO chief stressed that the Duterte administration remains committed to providing Filipinos with better and safer lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemoving criminality, keeping our youth away from evil, and bringing down poverty will be President Duterte\u2019s lasting legacy,\u201d Andanar said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u2018Valid recognition\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Oscar Albayalde also welcomed the survey noting that it has been excellent for three consecutive years.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsistently, for the third consecutive year, since 2017, there is popular public acknowledgement of the national crusade against illegal drugs,\u201d Albayalde said in a press briefing in Camp Crame.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe result of the 2nd quarter SWS survey that shows 82% of Filipinos expressing satisfaction in the national campaign against illegal drugs is a valid recognition of the efforts of government to stamp out this social problem,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He said the PNP will continue to perform its mandate within the bounds of the law and with utmost respect for human rights.<\/p>\n

Inspired by survey<\/strong><\/p>\n

For his part, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino said the high satisfaction rating leaves the PDEA \u201cmore driven to achieve victory over the drug menace\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a welcome development amid the naysayers against the government\u2019s campaign against illegal drugs coming from domestic and international critics,\u201d Aquino said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cPDEA will carry on with its aggressive supply reduction operations, and holistic approaches to prevent people from wanting and taking illegal drugs, while offering interventions to soften the impacts of drug use and save the lives of drug users and surrendering drug pushers,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Aquino said the SWS survey also proves that the Filipinos felt the anti-drug campaign launched by Duterte right after his election in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeeting the public\u2019s expectation is the ultimate reward to the hard work, dedication, and sacrifices of PDEA operatives, giving renewed vitality for the agency to continue to perform its mandate with equal fervor and intensity to clear our barangays from the evil clutches of dangerous drugs.\u00a0(With reports from Christopher Lloyd Caliwan\/PNA)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA\u00a0— Critics of the Duterte administration\u2019s anti-illegal drug campaign should take their cue from Filipinos who believe otherwise, Malaca\u00f1ang said …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":232156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1145,16,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-232155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headline","category-news","category-news-ph","mauthors-azer-parrocha","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232155"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":232157,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232155\/revisions\/232157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}