By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNP
MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Sunday welcomed the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing that 66 percent of Filipinos believe the number of drug users in their communities has decreased due to intensified illegal drugs campaign of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s administration.
“The high rating obtained proves that the continuing anti-illegal drugs campaign of the government is effective in convincing drug dependents to refrain from further using illegal drugs,” PNP Spokesperson, Senior Supt. Bernard Banac said in a statement.
Banac said the war on drugs has also been “instrumental in reducing the total number of crimes nationwide thereby, creating a secure environment where people feel safe to live, work and do business”.
The PNP, he said, assured the public that it will continue to perform its mandate within the bounds of the law and with utmost respect for human rights.
The survey, conducted in December 2018, showed that 66 percent of Filipinos claimed that the number of drug users in their area has declined over the past year.
Mindanao, at 83 percent, has the highest percentage of people who answered there are less drug addicts in their area compared to last year, followed by the Visayas at 71 percent, Metro Manila at 67 percent, and Luzon at 54 percent.
A total of 68 percent of respondents in rural areas believe the number of illegal drug addicts decreased while 63 percent say the same in urban areas.
