Eight out of 10 Filipinos still trust and approve of the performance of President Rodrigo Duterte despite the criticisms hurled at his administration on the handling of the Recto Bank incident, the latest Pulse Asia survey revealed on Wednesday.
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Even though the figure decreased by two points below the previous 87 percent in March, the President remains popular among Filipino adults as 85 percent of those polled said they are satisfied with his performance.
Only 3 percent said they disapproved of the President’s performance while 11 percent expressed ambivalence on the matter.
President Duterte gained a 91 percent approval rating in Mindanao. The Visayas came next with 90 percent, Balance Luzon with 82 percent, and the National Capital Region with 81 percent.
Pulse Asia said the President remains the most approved government official among the poorest Filipinos, registering an 87 percent in Class E. Class D followed with 85 percent while he registered 82 percent in Class ABC.
Mindanao also accounted for his highest trust rating of 91 percent. This was followed by the Visayas at 89 percent and Balance of Luzon, 81 percent. Duterte’s trust rating in Metro Manila shot up six points to 83 percent from 77 percent in the March survey.
Respondents in Class E trusted the President the most, with an 86 percent rating, followed by Class D with 85 percent and Class ABC with 80 percent.
Aside from the Chief Executive, four other high-ranking government officials also enjoyed a rating boost in June.
Majority of Filipinos continue to approve the performance of Vice President (55 percent) and Senate President Vicente Sotto III, 77 percent.
Robredo acquired a six-point increase from her March rating while Sotto garnered the biggest ratings lift with a 12-point jump.
Only 22 percent of Filipinos said they were satisfied with the performance of former president and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. 47 percent of those polled said they disapproved of her leadership while some 27 percent said they were undecided.
Forty-one percent of respondents said they approved of the performance of Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin while the same number were undecided.
Only 72 percent of respondents said they knew the top magistrate, who was appointed to the top post in November 2018.
The survey, based on a sample of 1,200 adults, came on the heels of major events in the country that made headlines, such as the Recto Bank incident, the government’s position on allowing China to fish in the country’s exclusive economic zone, terrorist attacks in Sulu, and the passage of a higher excise tax on tobacco products.
Conducted from June 24 to 30, the survey has a +/- 2.8 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level: +/- 5.7 percent for Metro Manila, the rest of Balance Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
Sotto said his ratings reflected the performance of the Senate.
“We, at the Senate, dispense our duties not for the sake of high or good ratings but with our mandate and public interest in mind,” Sotto said in a statement. With Macon Ramos-Araneta
