Pulse Asia: Filipinos approve of Duterte admin's calamity response most

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos are most appreciative of the administration’s disaster and calamity response efforts but found it lacking in controlling inflation, the latest Pulse Asia survey showed.

According to the March 2018 Ulat ng Bayan, public approval is more pronounced toward the Duterte administration’s work in the area of responding to the needs of calamity-stricken areas (86 percent)—a seven-percentage point increase from December 2017.

This is followed by protecting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (84 percent) and fighting criminality (81 percent)—two of Duterte’s top priorities during the campaign period.

The administration also enjoyed majority approval scores in areas of promoting peace (71 percent), enforcing the rule of law (71 percent), protecting the environment (71 percent), combating corruption in government (70 percent), increasing the salaries of workers (68 percent), creating more jobs (67 percent), defending the national territorial integrity (67 percent) and reducing poverty (53 percent).

Pulse Asia noted that most Filipinos continue to express appreciation for the administration’s handling of 11 of the 12 issues on which it was performance-rated in March.

“Filipinos’ assessment of the national administration’s work remains essentially constant between December 2017 and March 2018,” the polling firm said.

This is despite criticism from  hurled at Duterte’s regime concerning the killings linked to his brutal war on drugs, attacks on perceived critics of the government, among others.

READ: Money matters: Salary hike, inflation remain top concerns of Filipinos

The government, however, recorded low approval rating on the area of controlling inflation (33 percent).

The same survey found that controlling the rising prices of goods ranked second on the list of concerns that the incumbent administration should address immediately, following the need to increase the pay of workers.

According to a survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, inflation may exceed the central bank’s two to four percent target for 2018 due to the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law.

In a separate Social Weathers Station released April 11, the chief executive’s net satisfaction from December 2017 to March 2018 remained “very good” at 56 percent.

The recent Ulat ng Bayan survey was conducted from March 23 to 28 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults.

It has a ± 3% error margin at the 95% confidence level. 

READ: Duterte retains 'very good' satisfaction ratings in SWS survey