Filipinos closely watching updates on Duterte

PUBLIC INTEREST in former President Rodrigo R. Duterte remains high, with three out of four Filipinos saying they followed news about his arrest and succeeding developments, a survey by Publicus Asia, Inc. found.

The interest is highest in Mindanao (84%) and the Visayas (79%), signaling his continued political relevance despite ongoing controversies, the pollster said in a statement on Thursday.

Around 77% of respondents in Metro Manila said they’re tuned in with the developments, compared with 71% in South Luzon and 68% in North-Central Luzon.

This is according to a noncommissioned poll that surveyed 1,500 Filipinos from Sept. 27-30. It had an error margin of ±3 points.

“Despite ongoing political controversies and international scrutiny, former President Rodrigo Duterte continues to command solid support among Filipinos,” it said in a statement.

Mr. Duterte was arrested in March by local authorities under the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his bloody anti-drug campaign. He is currently being detained in The Hague, Netherlands.

Police say 6,200 suspects were killed in anti-drug operations that ended in shootouts, but rights groups estimate the real toll of the former President’s crackdown to be over 30,000, many of whom were slain under suspicious circumstances by masked men.

The same survey revealed that public opinion on the legal cases against Mr. Duterte is “sharply divided,” Publicus said, showing a regional split in viewing his presidency.

“While nearly half of respondents (47%), particularly in Luzon, view the cases as crimes against humanity, approximately a third (39%) in the Visayas and Mindanao disagree,” it said.

“This divergence indicates the continued resilience and sympathy of Duterte’s core support base in Mindanao,” it added. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio