Filipinos are free to criticize President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, Malacañang said on Tuesday, assuring that everyone can enjoy exercising free speech in the Philippines.

“The President believes in freedom of speech and free marketplace of ideas, and he has demonstrated this in his entire public career. As a public official, the Chief Executive has not filed a libel case against his critics,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press statement.

This, after results of the June 23 to 26 survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and released on Monday found that 45 percent of 1,200 Filipinos have expressed confidence that they can say anything they want “openly and without fear, even if it is against President Duterte”.

Only 27 percent have expressed fear to speak freely against Duterte, while the other 27 percent were ambivalent on the matter.

The poll results yielded a “moderate” +18 net agreement score on personal freedom, higher than the “neutral” +5 recorded in May 2021.

The same survey also revealed that 45 percent of the respondents have said it is “dangerous to print or broadcast anything critical of the administration, even if it is the truth.”

Only 25 percent have said otherwise, while 28 percent were undecided, according to the SWS.

This gives a “moderate” net agreement score of +20 on danger in publishing things critical of the current administration.

The latest net danger is similar to “moderate” +18 posted in May 2031, following an 18-point decline from the “very strong” +49 in November 2020, SWS said.

Duterte, Roque said, never curtailed Filipinos’ freedom of speech as he is focused on protecting their welfare.

Roque added that Duterte does not mind being criticized, so long as he is fulfilling his mandate as the country’s top government official

“The President simply focuses on his work with the welfare of the Filipinos foremost in his mind,” Roque said. (PNA)