A new survey shows 59 percent of its respondents believe freedom of speech is “very strong” under the term of President Rodrigo Duterte—but half of them also said it was dangerous to print or broadcast anything critical of the administration.
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More than half or 59 percent of the 1,200 respondents agreed that they can say anything they want—openly and without fear—even if it is against the administration, according to the survey by Social Weather Stations.
Eighteen percent disagreed while 23 percent were undecided.
The survey results also showed a net agreement score of +41, which is classified by SWS as “very strong.”
This was 18 points higher than the +23 net agreement score, or moderate, in December 2018.
The SWS also found that 67 percent agreed that the Philippine media have freedom of the press while 10 percent disagreed and 23 percent were undecided.
However, the same survey also showed that 51 percent of Filipinos agree that it is dangerous to print or broadcast anything critical of the Duterte administration while 29 percent were undecided and 20 percent disagreed.
The research firm used interviews of 1,200 adults aged 18 and above nationwide with 300 in Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao from June 22 to 26, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.
The Palace welcomed the survey results.
“The survey results once again are a repudiation of the vociferous and unrelenting tirade of the critics and detractors of the President, as well as the opposition, that the freedoms of speech and of expression are being curtailed by the administration,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said.
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But the Palace said it was “cognizant” and “curious” about the finding that half the respondents felt it dangerous to speak out against the government.
“The President respects criticisms as long as the same is not baseless, unfounded or false. He even urges the people, including writers and reporters, to freely express whatever sentiments they have,” he said.
Panelo statement came in the wake of Duterte’s vicious personal attack on an administration ally, Senator Richard Gordon, after he criticized the President’s penchant for recruiting former military officials into his Cabinet.
Ridiculing Gordon’s girth, the President said he was “a smart ass that walks like penguin” and that he was just “a fart away” from a heart attack.
But Panelo said: “Ours is a President who not only respects everyone’s right to free speech but listens to our plight as he ensures that the fibers of our country’s democracy are preserved and enhanced.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists has expressed concern over the restraints on press freedom after Rappler Chief Executive Officer Maria Ressa was arrested on tax evasion charges and Duterte threatened to withhold the franchise of TV network ABS-CBN.