Manila, Oct 12 (IANS): Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte continues to enjoy high popularity ratings amid his lethal war on drugs, according to a new survey in which 83 per cent of respondents said they have "much trust" in the leader.

In the survey by research institute Social Weather Stations (SWS), just eight per cent of the 1,200 respondents said they had "little trust" in Duterte, whose crackdown on illegal drugs has led to more than 3,500 deaths since he took office in June, Efe news reported.

The result of the SWS poll, conducted from September 24 to 27 and first published by Business World on Tuesday, is the equivalent of an "excellent" net trust rating.

Net trust is the difference between the percentage of respondents who said they have "much trust" in Duterte and those who said they have "little trust", according to SWS.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the results of the poll validated the support in the country for Duterte's policies, and would further motivate his administration to continue the war on drugs, the Inquirer newspaper reported Wednesday.

"The Duterte administration is committed to good governance anchored on the twin principles of transparency and accountability that will lead to lasting peace, political stability and inclusive economic progress in the years ahead," Andanar said.

Hours after the results of the survey were released, police were seen launching an anti-drug operation in Quezon city, metro Manila.