PNP says it “respects” SWS poll where 63% of Filipinos believe drug suspects who gave up were killed

September 29, 2017

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it "respects" the latest survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) which said majority of Filipinos believe suspects in the illegal drug trade who have surrendered are still killed.

“The PNP respects the survey and the responses of the public based on existing perception at the time when the survey was conducted,”  Chief Superintendent Dionardo Carlos, the PNP spokesman, said in a statement Friday.

According to the Social Weather Stations survey released Friday, it said 63 percent of Filipinos beleieve there are drug suspects who already surrendered but were killed.

In the survey done June 23-26 with 1,200 respondents, it said 75 percent of Metro Manilans agree that some drug suspects who surrendered were still killed.

Carlos said they will have to exert more effort in its information drive to ensure the public receive true and complete facts in the government's war on drugs.

“It will serve as a challenge for the PNP to deliver the facts  and the true and complete information,” he said.

Carlos earlier questioned a previous SWS survey where 54 percent of 1,200 respondents believe majority of drug suspects killed in police operations did not resist.

Carlos  said the deaths of 82 police officers and three soldiers in anti-drug operations are proof that drug suspects fought back.

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