President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval rating jumped by nine percentage points to 87 percent, from 78 percent last September, while the disapproval rating declined by three percentage points from eight percent to five percent.
READ: Duterte rating drops to +67, still ‘very good’ for pollsters
Meanwhile, Vice President Leni Robredo’s approval and trust ratings likewise improved, according to results of a nationwide survey conducted by Pulse Asia earlier this month.
READ: Robredo’s rating nosedives—SWS
Duterte’s approval and trust ratings went up to 87 percent and 83 percent, respectively, which are both 9 percent higher than his ratings in September.
Robredo, got an approval rating of 58 percent, an 8 percent increase from September. Her trust rating also went up by 7 percent to 53 percent from September’s 46 percent.
For Duterte, the undecided also dropped by six percentage points to eight percent, from 14 percent.
READ: More dirt, more trust Duterte gets—Palace
But in the National Capital Region (NCR), Duterte’s approval rating dipped two percentage points to 78 percent, from 80 percent in September after the number of undecided increased by four percentage points to 16 percent, from 12 percent.
Despite the lower approval rating in the NCR, the President’s disapproval score decreased by two percentage points to six percent in December, from eight percent in September.
n balance Luzon, approval rating accelerated by 14 percentage points to 83 percent, from 69 percent last September after disapproval and undecided fell to six percent and 11 percent, respectively.
In the September survey in areas of Luzon outside Metro Manila, the President’s disapproval rating was at 11 percent while undecided was at 21 percent.
The President, meanwhile, got the highest approval ratings in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
According to the Pulse Asia’s December survey, Duterte scored an approval rating of 98 percent in Mindanao, a further improvement from 92 percent in September.
Based on the latest survey in Mindanao, none of the respondents had disapproved the President’s performance and only two percent were undecided.
Visayas also gave Duterte an approval rating of 93 percent, up nine percentage points compared with 84 percent previously.
The chief executive’s disapproval rating in the region declined one percentage point to five percent, while undecided was down seven percentage points to two percent.
Across social classes, “ABC” gave the President an approval rating of 89 percent, an improvement from 75 percent in September.
Duterte’s approval score from the “D” class, likewise, jumped 10 percentage points to 88 percent, from 78 percent.
Meanwhile, the Palace vowed that the Duterte administration would continue to serve the public and urged Filipinos to remain positive.
In a statement, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar said the public should “remain positive, keep hopes up, and continue to support the government” as 2020 approaches.
“With foundations set in place for the years to come, the administration will continue to provide each and every Filipino the much-needed support and service in all aspects of public administration,” Andanar said.
The Pulse Asia survey released Friday showed that 93 percent of Filipinos said they will face 2020 with hope while seven percent are undecided, while less than one percent (0.2 percent) said they will face the approaching new year without hope.
“We are one with all the Filipinos who are looking forward to 2020 with high hopes and prospects. 9 out of 10 or 93 percent of Filipinos are optimistic for the incoming 2020.
The number is higher than the 91 percent recorded last 2018,” Andanar said.
“With 2019 reaching its end, the Duterte administration has implemented numerous policies, initiatives, and programs that have translated to beneficial gains and advantages for the Filipinos throughout the year. These undoubtedly will influence them through 2020 and for years to come,” Andanar said.
Andanar also noted the “increase in the country’s standing in the Global Corruption Perception Index and Global Innovation Index; effective war on illegal drugs campaign; expansion and prioritization of the Build, Build, Build Program; engaging the local level to help end conflict with the communist group; and expansion of universal health care and other social services.”
“With foundations set in place for the years to come, the administration will continue to provide each and every Filipino the much-needed support and service in all aspects of public administration,” Andanar said in a statement.
For 2020, Andanar said the country’s economic growth was projected at 6.5 to 7.5 percent, citing the Development Budget Coordination Committee.
“And with further improvements and expansions for plans and policies, development projects, and social services, we will see to it that this optimism is maintained not only until the end of President Duterte’s term but also for the succeeding years as part of this administration’s legacy,” Andanar added.
READ: Duterte ratings suffer 11-point drop—SWS