Senators yesterday backed the Social Weather Stations survey showing a decline in the number of illegal drug users in the country.
Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, a staunch anti-illegal drugs advocate and vocal supporter of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, believed that the SWS poll was accurate as he shared the belief that the number of drug users have decreased.
He said that leaders of local government units reported the same. “Yes, I think so. I got the same feedback from our local leaders,” Sotto said in a text message to reporters.
Sen. Koko Pimentel III said he, too, agrees with the survey’s results which he attributed to President Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.
“Delikado na ma-involve sa drugs ngayon. Kaya ang pinakamatapang na kriminal na lamang ang mag nenegosyo ng drugs. Ang mga gustong sumubok ng drugs na ayaw naman magulo ang buhay nya ay iiwas nalang sa drugs. Kaya naniniwala ako na ang all-out war against drugs ng Duterte administration ay nagbunga ng mas kaunting user ng drugs,” the Duterte ally said in a separate text message.
Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson, a former Philippine National Police chief, said he also thought that the latest SWS findings were accurate as in its previous surveys.
“A survey conducted by reputable firms like the SWS and Pulse Asia and others that have similar track record and history is presumed to be accurate, because of the scientific methodology used by those firms. I would say, yes, they’re fairly accurate,” Lacson said when asked to comment.
Lacson, however, said the government has yet to prove the survey’s findings since the Senate moved for the inclusion of a fund for the conduct of a “truthful” survey on the drug war, particularly, on the number of drug users in the country, by the Dangerous Drugs Board.
“Kapag naisagawa na ang survey, assuming that my proposed funding will be adopted all the way, malalalaman natin kung valid o hindi ang SWS survey. Meantime, in the absence of any other study, we will have to rely on the SWS survey,” Lacson said. (Vanne Elaine Terrazola)
