But many more Filipinos applauded Mr. Duterte, and said the victims had deserved to be punished. “Slaughter might be harsh but I guess for drug peddlers, they deserve it,” said Daphnie A. Diamola.

Their comments help explain why recent polls show more than 80 percent of Filipinos support the outspoken Mr. Duterte and his policy. Here are excerpts from other comments, lightly edited. (The Facebook posts can be viewed only in the Philippines.)

Filipinos say the government must address the scourge of drugs and addiction.

We in the slums of Manila who have been living in constant fear for the past ten-plus years because of the denial of the previous administration that we are becoming a narco state feel safer. You do not have the right to tell that you don’t feel safe if you haven’t experience violence from drug infested areas!!! — ANN MENDOZA via nytimes.com Before innocent people are dying every day because of these drug addicts and pushers are earning billions of pesos and dollars. For us, better to kill these drug pushers and drug addicts than them killing the innocents. — JAH RASTAFARI via Facebook Killings was made by drug lords and their runners and hit men. Police visibility was doubled or tripled and that is way better than the past six years of agony and pain created by Aquino administration and their narco supporters. — JHUN BARREY GELACIO LAGGUI via Facebook

The dangers of unchecked drug violence in poor communities in the Philippines had grown unacceptable for many people.

I’m from the famous district of Tondo. So far so good. I feel safer nowadays. If only you had seen Tondo through my eyes when drug dealings are much of a common scene in our everyday lives. Not until Duterte came. The thugs who mock our laws are the ones who are more afraid during these days. — AGAPITO BAGUMBAYAN via Facebook As far as I know, if you’re a law-abiding citizen, nothing happens to you. That’s how we are in Davao, which is the among the nation’s most peaceful cities despite being multi-ethnically diverse and being in Mindanao island, and where our president was once a mayor, and we are very proud of it. — JOHN PAUL II, PHILIPPINES via nytimes.com comments

Still others fear for their lives and worry the situation in the Philippines will get only worse.

The situation here, though, is not like in a war zone. It is worse. While you can still live out your day, go to work, eat outside, and go back home after the day is done, you have no idea when such an incident may happen to you or your loved ones. You do not know whether to trust the police or not. You try to ignore the fear, but it is there. — JAN MICHAEL A. RIVERA via nytimes.com Friends of mine have had friends and relatives killed. Never have I seen such impunity from my government. Rodrigo Duterte has a razor-focused vendetta and it is misguided and cruel and uneducated and vile, and in its wake is the Filipino people’s sense of humanity. — JOSEPH PASCUAL via Facebook Poor people linked to drugs are killed, while big time drug lords/rich people linked to drugs get to flee the country or get the benefit of the doubt or due process. — TINA QUINALAYO via Facebook Contrary to what a lot of my fellow men here say, no, we do not feel safer in the Philippines. Life is not better. The peso is depreciating much faster than other Asian currencies and the culture of impunity makes you wonder who’s next. The fear of drug lords is replaced by the fear of police. — HONEY DE PERALTA via Facebook

Supporters of the policy applaud the apparent effectiveness of the ruthless police tactics.