Rody approval rating at 83%

MANILA, Philippines – Amid controversies hounding President Duterte and his administration, most Filipinos continued to express approval and trust in him, independent pollster Pulse Asia said in its fourth quarter survey.

Duterte registered 83 percent approval and trust ratings in Pulse Asia’s Dec. 6 to 11 poll – down three points from his ratings in September.

The President obtained single-digit disapproval and distrust ratings at five percent and four percent, respectively.

The same percentage of Filipinos (13 percent), on the other hand, were ambivalent with regard to his performance and trustworthiness.

“These figures are virtually the same as those recorded in Pulse Asia Research’s September 2016 nationwide survey,” Pulse Asia said.

Duterte’s approval and trust scores were both at 86 percent in Pulse Asia’s September poll.

The December survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 representative adults 18 and above. It has a plus or minus three percentage points error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.

Approval, trust highest in Mindanao

Across geographic areas and socio-economic classes, respondents from Duterte’s home region Mindanao were most inclined to approve of and trust him – 91 percent and 92 percent, respectively.

In contrast, the President received his lowest approval and trust ratings from those in Class ABC (69 percent and 72 percent, respectively).

In the National Capital Region (NCR), Duterte registered an approval rating of 79 percent in December from 80 percent in September.

His trust rating among Metro Manilans was also at 79 percent in the last quarter of 2016 from 81 percent in the previous survey.

In all geographic areas and socio-economic groupings, Duterte recorded single-digit disapproval and distrust figures – two percent to seven percent and two percent to six percent, respectively, Pulse Asia said.

Pulse Asia noted that only marginal changes occurred in the President’s performance and trust ratings between September and December 2016 both at the national level and across geographic areas and socio-economic classes.

“Even the double-digit movements in the President’s approval and trust scores (both at -13 percentage points) and in the levels of indecision concerning his performance and trustworthiness (+14 and +17 percentage points, respectively) which are registered in the best-off Class ABC are not considered significant as they fall within the relevant error margin for the said socio-economic class,” it said.

Among the developments that happened in the weeks leading up to and during the conduct of the interviews were the resignation of Vice President Leni Robredo as chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council; the decision of the Supreme Court to junk the consolidated petitions argainst the burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani; and the recommendation of the Senate committee on justice to file kidnapping, murder, and perjury charges against Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed member of the so-called Davao death squad (DDS).

Matobato, during a Senate hearing last year, testified that Duterte was directly involved in extrajudicial killings in Davao City while serving as mayor.

Reacting to the survey results, Malacañang said it was grateful for the continuing support of the Filipino people for the President despite criticisms over human rights abuses in connection with his violent drug war.

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella  said the latest Pulse Asia survey results would inspire the President to work harder for the people.

Abella said the high approval and big trust spoke volumes about the people’s appreciation of the President’s achievements, especially in his campaign to rid society of drugs, crime and corruption.

“People are now beginning to feel secure in their homes, in the streets, day and night as incidents of homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft and carnapping went down, according to PNP (Philippine National Police) data,” he said.

“This new year, the administration resolves to deliver (Duterte’s) promise of safe and comfortable lives for all,” Abella added. – With Christina Mendez