Palace thanks supporters of Duterte despite drop in trust ratings

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang Friday thanked Filipinos for their confidence in President Rodrigo Duterte despite the 10-point drop in his trust rating.

Duterte's net trust rating fell to a "very good" +65 last month from an "excellent" +75 in December, according to the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations. Net trust rating was defined as the rounded off difference between respondents who said they have much trust in the president and those who said they have little trust.

Three in every four Filipinos or 76 percent of the 1,200 adult respondents said they have much trust in Duterte, down from 83 percent recorded in December. Ten percent of the respondents said they have little trust in the president while 14 percent were undecided.  

While the poll results were unfavorable to Duterte, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said they reflected a "vote of confidence" on the president. 

"We welcome the latest Social Weather Stations survey showing a +65 net trust rating for President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, which the polling firm classified as “very good” and described as similar to the “very good” +60 in September 2017," Roque said in a statement. 

"We are thus grateful for our people’s vote of confidence with significant trust in the president, amid being subject to unending criticisms and attacks," he added. 

Roque said Duterte's net trust ratings remained “excellent” in Visayas and Mindanao, areas that he described as the "known bailiwicks" of the president. He noted that the chief executive's trust ratings were still "very good" in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon. 

"Rest assured that the president will continue to steer the ship of State until we reach a drug-free destination where the country's macroeconomic fundamentals would be strong and resilient so Filipinos could lead comfortable lives," Roque said. 

The nationwide survey was conducted from March 23 to 27 and had a sampling error margin of +/-3 points for national percentages.

The poll classified net trust ratings of at least +70 as “excellent;” +50 to +69 as “very “good;” +30 to +49 as “good;” +10 to +29 as “moderate;” +9 to -9 as “neutral;” -10 to -29 as “poor;” -30 to -49 as “bad;” -50 to -69 as “very bad;” and -70 and below as “execrable.”