MANILA, Philippines — Public satisfaction with the government’s campaign against illegal drugs has suffered a double digit decline among residents in Metro Manila and Mindanao, a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The same SWS survey, however, showed one in every two Filipinos support proposals to conduct mandatory drug testing on students in Grade 4 and above.

On the war against drugs, the third quarter SWS survey, conducted from Sept. 15 to 23 with the results released late Wednesday, showed public satisfaction with the drug war falling to its lowest among Metro Manila respondents since the Duterte administration took over in July 2016.

It also fell by 14 points in Mindanao, although it remained in “excellent” territory.

Nationwide, public satisfaction was steady at “very good” +64 (76 percent satisfied, 13 percent dissatisfied), down one point from the +65 rating (78 percent satisfied, 13 percent dissatisfied) obtained in June.

Net satisfaction is the rounded off difference between those who said that they are satisfied and those who said that they are dissatisfied.

SWS classifies net satisfaction ratings of at least +70 as “excellent”; +50 to +69 as “very good”; +30 to +49 as “good”; +10 to +29 as “moderate”; +9 to -9 as “neutral”; -10 to -29 as “poor”; -30 to -49 as “bad”; -50 to -69 as “very bad”; and -70 and below as “execrable.”

SWS said the one-point decrease in nationwide net satisfaction rating in September was because of decreases in support in Mindanao and Metro Manila, offset by increases in balance Luzon and the Visayas.

Public satisfaction on the drug war in Mindanao fell from +84 (89 percent satisfied, five percent dissatisfied) in June to +70 (78 percent satisfied, eight percent dissatisfied) in September.

It is the second lowest rating for the drug war in Duterte’s bailiwick, next to the “very good” +66 in June 2017.

While still in “very good” territory, public satisfaction on the drug war fell to its lowest among Metro Manila respondents, from +67 (79 percent satisfied, 12 percent dissatisfied) in June to +55 (72 percent satisfied, 17 percent dissatisfied) in September.

Meanwhile, public satisfaction increased by eight points in the rest of Luzon, from +58 (74 percent satisfied, 16 percent dissatisfied) to +66 (78 percent satisfied, 12 percent dissatisfied).

It also increased by one point in the Visayas, from +57 (74 percent satisfied, 16 percent dissatisfied, correctly rounded) to +58 (73 percent satisfied, 15 percent dissatisfied).

“Satisfaction with the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs was at an ‘excellent’ +76 when it was first surveyed in September 2016. It was highest in December 2016 at an ‘excellent’ +77,” the SWS said.

“It has been at the +63 to +66 (very good) range since March 2017, reaching its lowest rating of +63 in September 2017,” it added.

The survey had 1,500 respondents and a margin of error of +/- three percentage points.

A good idea

On the drug testing proposal, the third quarter SWS survey, conducted from Sept. 15 to 23 with the results also released Wednesday, showed that 51 percent of respondents agreed with the previous proposal of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Thirty-six percent of the respondents said they do not agree with the proposal, while 13 percent were undecided.

The question was included in the survey even after PDEA in July dropped the proposal following consultations with the Department of Education.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones previously raised concerns on the conduct of mandatory drug testing on elementary students, noting its possible lasting impact on minors.

She also noted that such a policy would cost as much as P2.8 billion for at least 14 million Grade 4 to Grade 12 students in public schools alone.

Based on the survey, agreement with the proposal was highest among respondents in the Visayas (69 percent), followed by those from Metro Manila (53 percent), Mindanao (51 percent) and the rest of Luzon (42 percent).

Disagreement was highest in balance Luzon (48 percent), followed by Metro Manila (36 percent), Mindanao (26 percent) and the Visayas (21 percent).

The survey also had 1,500 respondents and a margin of error of +/- three percentage points.

Malacañang, on the other hand, supported the SWS survey on the drug-testing proposal. – With Christina Mendez