According to the latest poll results, 61% of Filipinos support the House "Quad Committee" in conducting legislative investigations into interrelated issues such as extrajudicial killings, drug trafficking, and illegal online gambling.
This survey was jointly conducted by the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, the Committee on Public Order and Safety, the Committee on Human Rights, and the Committee on Public Accounts, focusing on controversial issues related to the former President Duterte's administration. In December last year, the Quad Committee had recommended criminal charges against Duterte and his senior aides, a recommendation that has been adopted by the House.
The opinion poll conducted by Stratbase Consultancy from November 26 to December 3, 2023, shows that 61% of respondents clearly support the investigation, another 24% are undecided, and only 11% oppose.
Geographically, the National Capital Region has the highest support rate at 73%; followed by other regions of Luzon (66%) and Mindanao (59%). However, in Duterte's stronghold of Mindanao, only 46% of the population supports the investigation, with an undecided rate as high as 30%.
In socio-economic classes, the ABC class has the highest support rate (64%), while the E class has the lowest at 52%, and the highest opposition rate at 20%.
The survey also found that 37% of Filipinos hope the investigation will reveal a list of government officials responsible for extrajudicial killings, drug trafficking, and illegal online gambling; 27% hope that the Congress will pass legislation to address these issues; another 11% hope the investigation will promote the prosecution and conviction of related criminals.
Some testimonies from previous hearings of the Quad Committee indicate that during Duterte's administration, the police had a "reward for elimination" mechanism, where killing a drug suspect would result in a reward. Duterte also admitted that he had instructed the police to encourage suspects to resist, to create a justification for legitimate killings.
Based on some of the committee's findings, the House recommended prosecuting Duterte and his two former senior aides—current Senator Dela Rosa and Christopher Go—as well as several former senior police officers and officials for crimes against humanity.
The chairman of the committee, Representative Mabesa, emphasized that the purpose of the investigation is not politically motivated, but to "follow the guidance of the evidence." However, Duterte and his allies defend the "drug war," insisting that the killings were to prevent the spread of drug crimes and violence.
In response to the committee's recommendations, President Marcos Jr. stated that the Department of Justice will evaluate the evidence before deciding whether to file a lawsuit. Meanwhile, human rights organizations and lawyers' groups welcomed this, seeing it as an important step towards justice.
Currently, the committee is also investigating individuals involved in suspected drug trafficking and online gambling activities, including Yang Hongming, Alan Lin, and others. The public looks forward to more details being revealed to further promote the legal accountability of those responsible.
