SWS: 60% of Pinoys frown on Duterte VP bid

MANILA, Philippines — Sixty percent of Filipinos believe that President Duterte’s bid for the vice presidency in 2022 violates the intent of the Constitution, a survey by pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The survey showed respondents agreeing that Duterte’s running for vice president “violates the intention of the Constitution, which should first be amended before he may run for office again.” The poll was taken from June 23 to 26, before Duterte confirmed he would seek the nation’s second highest post.

The proportion of those who said Duterte’s vice presidential bid would violate the Constitution was highest in Balance Luzon with 65 percent, followed by the Visayas with 59 percent, Metro Manila with 56 percent and Mindanao with 53 percent.

A majority of respondents in all educational levels also shared this view, with 67 percent among non-elementary graduates, 70 percent among elementary graduates, 52 percent among junior high school graduates and 61 percent among college graduates.

The same survey showed that 39 percent of respondents would like Duterte to run for vice president “because they like his style of government management.”

The survey also found that all categories across self-rated poverty have opposed Duterte’s vice presidential bid. The proportion with this view was highest among those who are not poor with 64 percent, followed by borderline poor with 61 percent and poor with 5 percent.

Further, the survey also showed that 75 percent of adult Filipinos were satisfied with Duterte’s performance as president, while 13 percent were dissatisfied, and 12 percent were still undecided.

The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults distributed across Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. — Wilma Yamzon, Bella Perez-Rubio