Sixty-five percent of Filipinos believed there is no need to extend martial law in Mindanao after it was extended twice and expected to lapse by the end of 2019, according to latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

In its latest survey released on Sunday, SWS said 65 percent of Filipino adults said it should expire by end-2019, while 34 percent said it should be extended.

SWS said of the 34 percent who support the extension of martial law beyond 2019, twenty-two percent said it should be extended in the entire Mindanao, while seven percent said it should be extended in Marawi City and the province of Lanao del Sur, and four percent said it should be extended in Marawi City, the province of Lanao del Sur, and nearby provinces.

It added the proportion of those who call for the termination of martial law in Mindanao is high in all areas where 67 percent came from in Metro Manila, 67 percent in the Visayas, 66 percent in Balance Luzon, and 61 percent in Mindanao.

On their latest survey, they also found out 49 percent agreed there is no more threat in Mindanao while 16 percent disagree and 35 percent were undecided.

“This gives a net agreement score of +33, classified by SWS as very strong,” SWS said.

SWS said 55 percent of Filipinos agree that the military committed very few human rights abuses during the martial law in Mindanao while 14 percent disagree and 32 percent were undecided.

The latest SWS survey was conducted from December 13 to 16 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide with sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages, and ±6 percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Ella Dionisio/DMS