Half of Filipinos believe that former president Rodrigo Duterte should be held accountable for the deaths related to his bloody drug war, with observers pointing out the findings of a new survey could further “lend legitimacy and support” to an international court’s investigation into the ex-leader.
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The results come amid the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) rejection of the plea by Duterte’s defence counsel to allow his interim release from detention in The Hague.
The poll was conducted by Social Weather Stations, commissioned by the Manila-based think tank Stratbase Group, which surveyed 1,500 Filipinos nationwide from September 24 to 30.
The findings showed 50 per cent of Filipinos agreed that the former leader should face accountability for the drug war deaths. Meanwhile, 32 per cent disagreed while 15 per cent were undecided, and only 4 per cent said they did not know enough to give an opinion.
“While past attempts to gauge public opinion yielded that only a plurality demands Duterte’s accountability, this number demonstrates the growing awareness and demand for justice among Filipinos,” Dindo Manhit, president of the Stratbase Group, told This Week in Asia.
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“This number strongly suggests that half of Filipinos are recognising the importance of holding leaders accountable for their actions, especially in cases involving human rights.”