MANILA - The Philippine National Police believes that the Duterte administration's war on drugs is working, following a Social Weather Stations survey that showed 66 percent of those polled in the last quarter of 2018 said "the number of illegal drug users in their area has decreased."

"The high rating obtained proves that the continuing anti-illegal drugs campaign of the government is effective in convincing drug dependents to refrain from further using illegal drugs, and instrumental in reducing the total number of crimes nationwide thereby, creating a secure environment where people feel safe to live, work and do business," PNP Spokesperson Senior Supt. Bernard Banac said in a statement.

The December 2018 survey also found that nearly all respondents or 95 percent believed that it was "important" for drug suspects to be captured alive.

The PNP "will continue to perform our mandate within the bounds of the law and with utmost respect for human rights," said Banac.

The latest survey results were "similar" to people's sentiments in a similar poll in June 2018, said SWS.

The pollster launched quarterly surveys on the public's perception on drug addicts in 2017, a year after President Rodrigo Duterte launched his fierce was on drugs in 2016.

At least 5,317 alleged drug suspects have been killed from the time the administration's anti-illegal drugs campaign began on July 1, 2016 until December 18, 2018, according to independent monitoring by the ABS-CBN Investigative & Research Group.

Six out of every 10 victims were killed in operations conducted by law enforcement agencies, including police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency operatives, data showed.

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