MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte's actions on three specific occasions were vulgar for majority of Filipinos, according to a Social Weather Stations survey released Sunday night.
The survey found that 64 percent of Filipinos said Duterte's cursing of the chief and members of the United Nations Human Rights Council and threatening to throw them to the crocodiles was "bastos" or vulgar.
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About 31 percent of the respondents said that the remarks against the UN rights council were not vulgar while 5 percent said they did not know.
Duterte made the remarks against the UN human rights team in March after being criticized for instructing the police to ignore representatives of the UN who will probe the killings linked to the so-called war on drugs.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein scored Duterte for issuing the order and reminded him that the Philippine government "has a duty to uphold human rights and to engage with persons appointed."
In response to Al Hussein, Duterte said, “If these fools come here, are there crocodiles here? The ones that eat people? Throw those sons of b****** to them."
Among those who said that his cursing of the UN rights chief was vulgar, the president's net satisfction rating was a moderate +28.
Rants vs priests, Seoul kiss also vulgar
The SWS poll also showed that 55 percent of Filipinos said Duterte's pronouncement that priests are no better than him and that some have two wives were vulgar.
Duterte's act of kissing a woman on the lips in Seoul, South Korea was also vulgar for 52 percent of Filipinos, according to the survey.
The president drew flak for kissing a married lady on stage in a meeting with the Filipino community in Seoul in June.
During the event, Duterte said that he would give a book by the late Rappler journalist Aries Rufo titled "Altar of Secrets: Sex, Politics, and Money in the Philippine Catholic Church" in exchange for a kiss as payment.
Defending Duterte, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the incident should not be blown out of proportion as there was no malice in it.
"Obviously, there is no offended party here. The lady has clearly expressed the view that she was honored by the kiss," Roque said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
Moderate net satisfaction
Duterte's net satisfaction ratings among those who said his claim against priests and his kiss to a married woman on the lips were also moderate +27 and +23, respectively.
SWS classifies net satisfaction ratings as +70 and above, “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”, +9 to –9, “neutral”; –10 to –29, “poor”; –30 to –49, “bad”; –50 to –69, “very bad”; –70 and below, “execrable.”
The survey on Duterte's actions were conducted from June 27 to 30 using face-to-face interviews among 1,200 Filipino adults nationwide.
"The Social Weather Survey items on people’s opinion on whether the specific actions of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte are vulgar or not vulgar were non-commissioned. They were included on SWS's own initiative and released as a public service," the SWS said.