Over 82 percent of Metro Manila residents said they “feel safer” due to the government's intensified campaign against illegal drugs based, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said based on a Pulse Asia survey.
The survey, shared by NCRPO on Friday, was conducted from December 6 to 11, 2016, five months after President Rodrigo Duterte declared war on drugs. Respondents were randomly selected and were asked the question: “Compared to last year, I feel that it is less dangerous now in our place because of the campaign against illegal drugs.”
NCRPO chief Director Oscar Albayalde expressed gratitude about the survey result.
“Siguro yung ating mga kababayan, nakita for the first five months nung paglunsad nung ating war on drugs na talagang nakita naman po nila na tumahimik yung ating mga kalansanga. Of course nakita rin nila yung accomplishment not only in NCR pero ng buong PNP (Philippine National Police),” Albayalde said Saturday in an interview on dzBB.
Duterte suspended the Philippine National Police's involvement in the drug war after the death of South Korean national Jee Ick Joo, who was allegedly abducted and killed inside the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame by anti-drug operatives.
Also on Duterte's order, the PNP relaunched last March 6 its anti-illegal drug campaign dubbed, "Double Barrel Reloaded, Tokhang Revisited."
The Duterte administration's war on drugs have been heavily criticized by international rights groups, including the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, for the hundreds of drug suspects killed in police operation and in vigilante-style killings mostly carried out by motorcycle-riding and masked gunmen.
In a video statement played during a United Nations forum, Vice President Leni Robredo revealed a "palit-ulo" scheme and other alleged abuses in the police anti-drugs campaign in poor communities in Metro Manila.
The police had denied the alleged abuses.
Albayalde, meanwhile, assured Metro Manila residents that the NCRPO will continue on fulfilling their duties in the drug war, and will serve the result of the Pulse Asia survey as their "driving force."
"We will take this accomplishment as one of our basis and guide to further improve our performance, to address the security demands of the public, and to further pursue our transformation program," he said in a statement released on Friday.
He also committed that complaints of the public will be addressed accordingly.
"The fulfillment of the service that we render to the public is the acceptance of the public of our services, as we have always emphasized that policing is not just our responsibility but the community as well," Albayalde said.
"The response they provided in this survey reflects their concerns. We will innovate and do more until we get to 100%," he added.