MANILA - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's popularity has soared during his first three months in office, an independent survey showed Thursday, in an apparent endorsement by Filipinos of his brutal crime crackdown. The Manila-based polling group surveyed 1,200 adults nationwide from September 24-27, asking them simply about Duterte's performance as president without reference to the drug war. - 'Happy to slaughter' -Duterte, a provincial politician, stormed to victory largely on his pledge to eradicate crime in six months. Duterte has also threatened to break the Philippines' decades-old alliance with the US, its former colonial ruler, because of Washington's criticism over the crime war. Obama has urged Duterte to respect the rule of law and fight crime "the right way".

Source: Bangkok Post October 06, 2016 07:41 UTC