Marcos Jr. ratings stable, big drop for Sara – OCTA

MANILA, Philippines — A majority of Filipinos continue to trust and approve of the performance of President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte, according to the third quarter survey conducted by the OCTA Research group.

But while Marcos’ ratings were stable, Duterte saw a further decline in her numbers, the survey conducted from Sept. 4 to 7 showed.

Based on the results released on Thursday, 66 percent of the 1,200 respondents said they were satisfied with the performance of the President, down two points from 68 percent in a similar survey in July.

Those who were dissatisfied with him increased from 10 percent to 12 percent. The rest were undecided.

The survey also found that 69 percent of the respondents trust Marcos, down from 71 percent in the previous survey. Distrust with the President increased from 10 percent to 11 percent.

OCTA noted that Marcos’ ratings, while down two points from July, remain “statistically unchanged” as the numbers are within the poll’s margin of error of plus/minus two percent.

It was different for Duterte, who saw an eight-point drop in her performance rating, from 60 percent in July to 52 percent in September.

Dissatisfaction with the Vice President’s performance increased from 12 percent to 15 percent.

Duterte’s trust ratings also fell by six points, from 65 percent to 59 percent, while distrust with her increased by three points, from 11 percent to 14 percent.

OCTA said there was a notable drop in Duterte’s approval and trust ratings among respondents in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, as well as from socio-economic classes ABC and D.

Her approval rating dropped 12 points in Metro Manila (from 50 percent to 38 percent) and 11 points in balance Luzon (from 48 percent to 37 percent), while trust with the Vice President declined by 13 points in Metro Manila (from 60 percent to 47 percent) and nine points in balance Luzon (from 52 percent to 43 percent).

Duterte’s approval and trust ratings remained above 90 percent in her bailiwick Mindanao.

OCTA polls showed a continuing decline in the Vice President’s ratings following her break with the Marcos administration earlier this year, notably her resignation as education secretary in June and her recent tirades against the President and the Marcos family.

The Vice President is subject of an investigation at the House of Representatives, where the committee on good government and public accountability is looking into her office’s use of confidential funds.

The administration of her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, is also being investigated over killings related to the drug war and other alleged illegal activities.

Meanwhile, Senate President Francis Escudero thanked the public for his high trust and performance ratings according to the latest OCTA survey.

In the Tugon ng Masa nationwide survey conducted Sept. 4 to 7, Escudero continues to have high trust and performance ratings at 67 percent and 65 percent, respectively.

“The leaders of Congress continue to enjoy high trust and performance ratings among the majority of Filipinos,” the survey read.

The Senate President said surveys are “mere snapshots of our people’s perception.”

“It will sometimes be up and may also go down. However, we shall always be thankful for the support of our people and will continue to work even harder for our country,” Escudero said.