MANILA, Philippines — A big majority of Filipinos still approve of, and trust, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, according to a survey released Wednesday by private pollster Pulse Asia.
The approval and trust ratings of Marcos and Duterte were virtually unchanged in the poll conducted in March compared to the last survey done in November 2022.
Related Stories
READ: ‘Very good’ Marcos satisfaction rating, ‘excellent’ for Sara
Marcos scored a 78% approval rating, a negligible four-point drop from the last survey, and an 80% trust rating, which was just a three-point dip from November 2022.
Meanwhile, Duterte's approval rating stood at 83%, which represented a one-point drop from the last poll, while her trust rating remained at 85%.
Only 5% disapproved of the president, while 16% were undecided. The vice president’s performance, on the other hand, was disapproved only by 4%, while 13% were undecided on it.
Only 5% said they had little or no trust in Marcos, while 15% said they were undecided. A smaller 3% said they had little or no trust in Duterte, while 12% said they were undecided.
Marcos and Duterte got majority approval from across social classes and locations, although the president’s approval dropped by 12 points among Class ABC to 65%, by eight points in Metro Manila to 68% and by seven points in the rest of Luzon to 70%.
The vice president’s approval meanwhile decreased by 15 points among Class ABC to 70% and increased by five points in the Visayas to 97%.
A majority of Filipinos across social classes and locations also trusted Marcos and Duterte, but the president’s trust rating among Class ABC slipped by 11 points to 69% and among residents of Metro Manila by eight points to 73% and among residents in the rest of Luzon by five points ro 73%, while the vice president’s trust rating slumped by six points to 76% among Class ABC.
Congess leaders
A small majority of Filipinos also approved of the performance of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Martin Romualdez as both congressional leaders got a 51% approval rating in the poll and only 10% and 12% disapproved of their work respectively.
Zubiri’s approval among Class ABC eased by 25 points to 36%, while more people in the same social class are ambivalent towards his performance as 50% said they were undecided about it.
READ: Zubiri denies rumors of supposed ouster as Senate president
Among the top government officials who were subject of the Pulse Asia poll, only Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo received approval and trust ratings which were below 51%.
Only 43% said they approved of Gesmundo’s performance, while 41% said they were undecided and 15% disapproved of it. On the other hand, only 39% trusted him, 45% were undecided and 16% had no trust in him.
Despite this, Gesmundo’s approval and trust ratings improved the most out of the five top government officials as these climbed up by 16 points and 11 points respectively.