Palace says ‘Filipinos now feel safer’ amid rise in common crimes
MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos feel more secure now because of the Duterte administration’s tough-on-crime rhetoric and campaign, Malacañang said Saturday in response to a new opinion poll showing a spike in proportion of families victimized by crimes.
According to a third quarter poll of 1,500 Filipinos by Social Weather Stations, 6.1 percent — or an estimated 1.4 million — families reported they were victim of common crimes like robbery, break-ins, car theft and physical violence in the past six months.
This was 0.7 percent higher than the previous quarter’s print, and unchanged from the same period a year ago.
“Significant strides have been made by the current administration through its war against criminality including those related to illegal drugs,” the Palace said in a statement.
“Indeed, Filipinos now feel safer knowing fully well the government’s stance against criminals and drug pushers,” it added. “This achievement, however, will not render us complacent.”
Duterte, who is notorious for his defiance of international pressure, was elected by a landslide in 2016 on a brutal law and order platform.
Human rights watchdogs say most of the fatalities in the government’s anti-narcotic drive are extrajudicial killings committed by cops, something the Duterte administration has vehemently denied.
In the same press statement, the Palace said it was “clear” that critics of Duterte’s policies were “either people who are connected with illegal activities or politicians belonging to the opposition, as well as their blind followers.”
“As [President Duterte] said, his campaign against criminality and illegal narcotics shall be pursued until the last day of his term to ensure that our streets are completely safe from criminals, drug personalities and other rogue elements,” Malacañang said. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral
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