Verifying Duterte’s Stats

Screen grab from the video by the Presidential Communications (Government of the Philippines) Facebook page.

CHEERS TO Rappler for verifying the accuracy of a statement by President Rodrigo Duterte about the number of police and military men who have died in the line of duty in the course of the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.

On Aug. 24, President Duterte claimed that an average of two policemen and soldiers a day are killed in the anti-illegal drug campaign. But a quick fact-check by Rappler, using the information provided by Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa during the Senate probe into the drug war, said otherwise. (“Duterte losing 2 policemen daily to drug war? Stats don’t say so,“Rappler, August 24, 2016)

According to the figures presented by Dela Rosa, a total of 12 personnel had been killed while performing their duty in the campaign—nine police and three military personnel—from July 1 to August 18 (49 days). This amounts to an average of 0.24 police or military personnel killed daily as opposed to Duterte’s 2 deaths per day, which Rappler aptly pointed out.