MANILA, Philippines — Less than a year in office, President Marcos’ trust ratings fell slightly as a majority of Filipinos disapproved of the administration’s performance in curbing inflation, according to a recent survey by Pulse Asia.
Some 80 percent of the respondents said they have “big trust” in Marcos, the concurrent agriculture secretary, with five percent having “small or no trust” and 15 percent undecided. His score dropped from 83 percent in the November 2022 survey.
Results of the March 15 to 19 survey released yesterday showed that 52 percent of the respondents disapprove of the government’s response to control the rising cost of basic commodities.
Only 25 percent said they approve of the government’s performance on this specific issue, while 23 percent were undecided.
Vice President Sara Duterte and Marcos however continued to enjoy the general approval and trust of most Filipinos, according to the Pulse Asia survey.
Results of the March poll showed Duterte, who concurrently serves as education secretary, obtaining slightly higher approval and trust scores than Marcos.
Some 78 percent of the respondents said they approve of Marcos’ performance, while five percent said they disapprove. Sixteen percent were undecided.
Duterte obtained an approval rating of 83 percent, with four percent disapproving her performance and 13 percent undecided.
The top two officials’ approval scores hardly moved from 82 percent and 84 percent, respectively, in a similar survey conducted in November 2022.
Across geographic areas, approval of Marcos’ performance was highest among respondents in the Visayas at 93 percent, followed by those in Mindanao at 87 percent, balance Luzon at 70 percent and Metro Manila at 68 percent.
It was at 87 percent among class E, 78 percent among class D and 65 percent among class ABC.
For Duterte, it was highest among respondents in Mindanao at 98 percent, closely followed by those in the Visayas at 97 percent, Metro Manila at 76 percent and the rest of Luzon at 72 percent.
Duterte’s approval score was at 87 percent among class E, 81 percent among class D and 77 percent among class ABC.
She obtained a trust score of 85 percent, with three percent saying they have “small or no trust” and 12 percent undecided.
Duterte’s score was unchanged from the previous survey.
Across geographic areas, trust with Marcos was highest among those in the Visayas at 93 percent, followed by those in Mindanao at 89 percent and Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon at 73 percent.
It was at 88 percent among class E, 80 percent among class D and 69 percent among class ABC.
Almost all or 97 percent of the respondents in the Visayas and Mindanao trust Duterte, followed by 81 percent in Metro Manila and 76 percent in the rest of Luzon.
Trust in the Vice President was at 88 percent among class E, 80 percent among class D and 69 percent among class ABC.
Meanwhile, Marcos was nevertheless elated by the latest Pulse Asia survey. “The continuous love and trust that the people give to us and VP @indaysaraduterte is truly heartening,” he said in Filipino on Instagram.
The President said the public’s continued support inspires the administration to ensure the success of its programs for the benefit of every Filipino.
“Expect your support to go a long way, especially since it is the foundation of the success of the programs we dedicate for the betterment of every Filipino,” he said.
Other issues
Aside from inflation, the government also obtained approval scores of less than 50 percent in four other issues: reducing poverty (39 percent approve, 33 percent disapprove), increasing pay of workers (44 percent approve, 24 percent disapprove), creating more jobs (45 percent approve, 24 percent disapprove) and fighting graft and corruption (47 percent approve, 22 percent disapprove).
The government obtained majority approval scores in seven other issues included in the survey. – Helen Flores