More Pinoys identify with Marcos than Duterte – poll

MANILA, Philippines — A majority of Filipinos identify themselves either as pro-Marcos administration or pro-Duterte family, with most of them saying they support the current President more than his predecessor, according to a survey on political preference conducted by the OCTA Research Group.

Results of the March 11 to 14 survey released yesterday showed that about 31 percent of the respondents said they support President Marcos and his administration, while 20 percent said they support the Duterte family and their political allies.

Only four percent of the respondents said they support the opposition, while 29 percent said they neither support the Marcos administration, the Duterte family nor the opposition.

Another 15 percent said they do not know or refused to answer the question.

The survey was conducted amid the public disagreements between Marcos and his allies and some members of the Duterte family.

Earlier this year, former president Rodrigo Duterte publicly criticized his successor over the current administration’s push for Charter change.

Duterte even accused Marcos of drug use, although he later denied doing so.

The former president’s son, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, has called for Marcos’ resignation.

The Department of Justice under the current administration also pursued criminal charges against Apollo Quiboloy, Duterte’s spiritual adviser.

Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte – who maintains that she remains in good terms with the President – was reported to have had a falling out with Speaker Martin Romualdez, a cousin and close ally of Marcos.

The Vice President also has publicly opposed Charter change, which is primarily being pushed by Romualdez and his allies in Congress.

Bailiwicks

Across areas, support for the Marcos administration was highest among those in Metro Manila at 43 percent, followed by those in the Visayas at 38 percent, the rest of Luzon at 32 percent and Mindanao at 17 percent.

More than half of the number of respondents from Mindanao – 53 percent – said they support the Duterte family, followed by those in the Visayas at 18 percent, Metro Manila at 14 percent and the rest of Luzon at seven percent.

Support for the “opposition” ranged from three to five percent across areas, while those who were ambivalent were highest among those in the Visayas (35 percent) and the rest of Luzon (33 percent).

In terms of socio-economic class, the Marcos administration obtained its highest support from among those in class D (32 percent), followed by those in class E (30 percent) and class ABC (27 percent).

Support for the Duterte family was highest among class E (30 percent), followed by those in class D (19 percent) and class ABC (14 percent).

Based on the survey, support for the Marcos administration was highest among middle-aged Filipinos (39 percent for the 55-64 age group and 35 percent for the 45-54 age group), as well as who reached high school (37 percent) or took vocational programs (34 percent).

The Duterte family obtained their highest support from among age groups 25-34 (27 percent) and 65-74 (26 percent), as well as those with no formal education or reached elementary (32 percent).

OCTA’s Tugon ng Masa survey had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus three percent for national percentages and plus/minus six percent for each of the geographic areas.

Sara: 2028 still a long way down

In a related development, the Vice President yesterday shot down talks of running for president in 2028 following a recent pre-electoral survey that showed she was statistically tied with Sen. Raffy Tulfo as the current most popular potential candidate to succeed President Marcos.

Duterte told reporters that 2028 “is still a long way down for us to talk about it. What we need to do is to continue doing our jobs and working together in nation-building.”

The survey conducted by Pulse Asia from March 6 to 10 showed Tulfo leading in popularity, with 35 percent of the respondents indicating support for the lawmaker and about 34 percent preferring Duterte.

Pulse Asia said the results are from “rider questions” included in its March 2024 Ulat ng Bayan survey.

The survey had 1,200 respondents and a margin of error of plus/minus 2.8 percent at the 95-percent confidence level.

The Vice President’s political plans have been the subject of widespread speculation amid the soured ties between her family and Marcos.

Despite refusing to comment on the recent surveys, Duterte thanked her supporters for their trust in the face of controversies surrounding her and her offices.

Meanwhile, sought for comment on the continued Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, the Vice President still refused to give remarks and deferred to the statement of her brother Davao 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte, where he said questions relating to China should be addressed by concerned government agencies.

“No comment. I think Congressman Paolo’s statement is already comprehensive. That should be answered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the secretary of national defense,” the Vice President said. — Neil Jayson Servallos