SWS: 51% agree, 25% disagree Duterte should be held accountable for killings

More than half of Filipinos believe that former President Rodrigo Duterte should be held accountable for the extrajudicial killings that happened during his administration’s bloody campaign against illegal drugs, a commissioned survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations showed.

According to the SWS survey commissioned by Stratbase conducted from February 15 to 19, 51% of the respondents said Duterte should answer for the killings related to his war on drugs.

On the other hand, 25% disagreed, 14% were undecided, and 10% said they didn’t know enough to give an opinion. 

The Visayas recorded the highest number of Filipinos who agree that Duterte should be held liable at 62%. 

It was followed by Northern Luzon at 60%, Balance Luzon at 49%, Central Luzon at 48%, Mindanao at 47%, the National Capital Region at 45%, and Southern Luzon at 44%. 

Meanwhile, the number of those who agree is higher in rural areas at 52% as compared to the urban areas at 48%. 

The survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group interviewed 1,800 adult respondents nationwide:  300 in Metro Manila, 900 in Balance Luzon (or Luzon outside Metro Manila), 300 in the Visayas, and 300 in Mindanao. 

The sampling error margins are ±2.31% for national percentages, ±3.27% for Balance Luzon, and ±5.66% each for Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Duterte is now in custody of the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands for his alleged crimes against humanity with his administration’s bloody war on drugs. 

Government records showed that there were over 6,000 drug suspects killed in operations. Human rights organizations, however, estimate the death toll may have reached 30,000 due to unreported incidents.  

The former president already faced the ICC last March 14 via video link. The hearing will resume in September. –NB, GMA Integrated News