8 in 10 Filipinos trust, approve of Duterte after Recto Bank — Pulse Asia
MANILA, Philippines — An overwhelming majority of Filipinos trust and approve the performance of President Rodrigo Duterte despite criticism on his handling of the Recto Bank incident, results of the latest Pulse Asia survey suggest.
Pulse Asia reported that 85% of the 1,200 adult respondents are appreciative of the performance of the chief executive. Only 3% said they disapprove of Duterte's performance, while 11% said they were undecided.
This is just two points below the 87% he recorded in March 2019 and within the ± 2.8 percent error margin.
Eighty-five percent of the respondents also trust the president, unchanged from his trust rating in March.
The poorest segment of Filipinos continues to trust and approve of Duterte's performance, with 86% of respondents Class E saying they trust the president. Of those surveyed, 87% said they are appreciative of his performance.
Highest rating in Mindanao
The performance ratings of Duterte in Luzon (82%) and the Visayas (90%) have been unchanged. Eighty-one percent of resident in Metro Manila said they appreciate the performance of the president.
His highest approval rating was in Mindanao, where 91% approve of his performance. This, however, was seven points lower than the 97% he received in March.
Duterte’s highest trust rating was also recorded in his bailiwick from 96% in March to 91% in June.
His trust rating improved in Metro Manila from 77% to 83% in June and the Visayas from 87% to 89% in June, while his score in Luzon remained the same at 81%.
A separate poll by Social Weather Stations showed that public satisfaction with Duterte reached a fresh record high in the second quarter of 2019 with 80% of adult Filipinos satisfied with his performance.
The survey was conducted from June 24 to 30, few weeks after a Chinese vessel rammed a Filipino fishing boat near Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea and a week after Duterte downplayed the incident as a “little maritime accident.”
Majority trust, approve of Robredo, Sotto
The same survey showed that a majority of Filipinos also trust and support Vice President Leni Robredo.
Robredo received a 55% approval rating and a 52% trust rating, an increase from the 49% and 47% she recorded in March 2019.
Pulse Asia noted that the vice president enjoys majority approval in most geographic areas and socio-economic groupings, with only resident of Metro Manila and those in class ABC withholding majority scores from her.
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III enjoyed a huge increase in his performance and trust ratings. His approval rating was up by 12 points from 65% to 77% in June, while his trust ratings also spiked to 73 percent last month from 61% in March.
Distrust in former House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was expressed by practically half of the respondents (49%). Only 22% said they trust the former leader of the lower chamber.
She also received the lowest approval rating of 26% among top government officials. Nearly half of Filipinos or 47% said they disapprove of Arroyo’s work.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin, meanwhile, received a slight increase in his approval rating, obtaining 41% from March’s 38%. His trust rating remained unchanged at 35%.
The Pulse Asia survey has a ± 2.8 percent error margin. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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