#ThewRap: Things you need to know, April 19, 2017

Hello Rappler readers,

Satisfaction with President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war may be down, according to a new SWS survey, but Malacañang emphasized that the rating is still “very good.” Duterte’s economic team, meanwhile, pledged that trillions of pesos would be spent on infrastructure until 2022.

In Nueva Ecija, the death toll from Tuesday’s bus crash continues to rise, while in Mindanao, scientists have made a “giant” discovery.

Below are the big stories you shouldn’t miss.

Palace defends drug war after SWS survey drop

Though the net satisfaction rating for the Duterte administration’s war on drugs dropped in the latest SWS survey, Malacañang said it still showed that a “great majority” of Filipinos remain satisfied. The Palace also chose to focus on the bright side even though 73% of respondents said they were worried they’d become victims of extrajudicial killings (down from 78% in the previous poll).

Death toll rises in Nueva Ecija bus crash

At least 29 people are now confirmed dead in the bus crash in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija. Overloading is being looked into as a possible cause of the tragedy, since there were supposedly 60 passengers but the bus only had a capacity of 45.

Duterte admin unveils massive infra plan

President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic team just unveiled its “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure plan, a key component of its so-called “Dutertenomics” agenda. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the Philippines needs to boost its infra so it can catch up to other countries and curb poverty.

Britain snap election won’t affect Brexit timeline – EU

The European Union said the timetable for Britain’s exit from the EU won’t be affected by British Prime Minister Theresa May’s call for a snap election. According to the EU, the European Council will adopt the Brexit guidelines on April 29.

Elusive giant shipworm discovered

It’s the stuff nightmares are made of – a giant shipworm the size of a baseball bat was finally found in Mindanao. It’s officially classified as a mollusc and scientists have been looking for it for years.