MALACANANG yesterday vowed to improve its information drive and fight fake news about the arrest and charges against former President Rodrigo Duterte, even as it welcomed a survey result showing the majority of Filipinos believe the former Chief Executive should be held accountable for the deaths in his drug war.
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Malacanang is happy with the survey results showing that the majority of Filipinos support the actions that the national government took in connection with Duterte.
Castro, however, noted that a group of Filipinos were either undecided or refused to take a stand on the issue as they were not well informed.
“So, sa ngayon po ay lalo po nating paiigtingin ang ating pagtatrabaho para po masawata ang fake news dahil malamang po iyong po iba na hindi pa po naniniwala sa ginawa ng pamahalaan ay dahil naniniwala sila doon sa fake news na kumakalat (So, for now, we will further strengthen our efforts to combat fake news because it is likely that those who do not believe in the government’s actions are influenced by the fake news circulating),” she said.
A Social Weather Stations survey from February 15 to 19, almost a month before Duterte’s arrest, showed that 51 percent of Filipinos agreed that the former president should be held accountable for the killings related to illegal drugs during his administration while 25 percent disagreed.
Fourteen percent were undecided while 10 percent said they do not know enough to give an opinion.
Duterte was arrested on March 11 for crimes against humanity and had been under the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC). He has been staying at a detention facility at The Hague since.
He had appeared before the ICC Pre-Chamber Trial I on March 14 where the judges verified his identity, informed him of the charges filed against him, and enumerated his rights.
His hearing had been set for September 23, 2025.
