PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has managed to retain his “big majority approval and trust ratings” both at 80%, according to Pulse Asia’s latest survey released Friday, Oct. 13, and conducted last September.

The release of that survey is on the heels of an earlier poll by the Social Weather Stations also conducted in September and published Oct. 8, showing, on the other hand, Mr. Duterte’s dropping numbers in terms of public satisfaction and trust.

Pulse Asia’s Sept. 17 poll showed Mr. Duterte with an 80% performance rating, a slight decline from his 82% in Pulse Asia’s June 17 poll.

Vice-President Maria Leonor G. Robredo and Senate President Aquilino L. Pimentel III also had “majority approval and trust scores, albeit lower ones,” Pulse Asia said of its September poll, which also showed a broad decline among the top officials in government that was more considerable in the case of House Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez and Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno.

“Levels of disapproval for these officials’ quarterly performance range from 7% for President Duterte to 21% for Supreme Court Chief Justice Sereno while their distrust ratings vary from 6% for the President to 23% for the Supreme Court Chief Justice,” Pulse Asia said.

“Across geographic areas and socio-economic classes, President Duterte enjoys majority approval ratings (72% to 92% and 75% to 86%, respectively) and trust figures (72% to 93% and 74% to 85%, respectively),” the polling group said.

Mr. Duterte had a considerable 76% performance rating in the National Capital Region and 86% among the E class, which is widely acknowledged to be bearing the brunt of the drug war. He was highest, in terms of performance and trust, in his home region of Mindanao, which has been under martial law since the Maute crisis that began in May.

“In the case of Vice-President Robredo, she obtains majority approval scores (54% to 70% and 57% to 62%, respectively) and trust ratings (52% to 67% and 53% to 65%, respectively) in practically all geographic areas and socio-economic groupings. The exceptions are the non-majority approval and trust figures recorded by the Vice-President in Metro Manila (49% and 47%, respectively) and the best-off Class ABC (48% and 45%, respectively),” Pulse Asia said.

Ms. Robredo had a considerable 70% in the Visayas and had a high rating of 62% among the E class.

“Appreciation is the majority sentiment toward the work of Senate President Pimentel in most geographic areas (55% to 65%), with the exception of the rest of Luzon (50%), and in all socio-economic groupings (55% to 58%). The latter also registers majority trust ratings across areas and classes (51% to 55% and 52% to 58%, respectively), with Metro Manila and Class E being the exceptions,” Pulse Asia said.

“Ambivalence is the plurality opinion concerning the work of House Speaker Alvarez in the rest of Luzon, the Visayas, and Class D (48% to 50%) while nearly the same approval and indecision figures are recorded by the legislator in the other areas and classes (34% to 44% versus 43% to 46%),” the polling group said.

And with the exception of Mindanao, “indecision is the plurality sentiment toward the trustworthiness of the House Speaker in basically all geographic areas and every socio-economic class (47% to 50% and 47% to 49%, respectively),” Pulse Asia said.

“Supreme Court Chief Justice Sereno receives plurality indecision ratings from those in the rest of Luzon and Class D (45% and 44%, respectively). About the same approval and indecision figures are recorded by the latter in the other geographic areas and socio-economic groupings (35% to 39% versus 37% to 45%),” Pulse Asia also said, adding:

“With respect to her trustworthiness, the Supreme Court Chief Justice posts plurality indecision scores in nearly all geographic areas and socio-economic classes (44% to 48% and 44%, respectively). The Visayas and Class ABC are the exceptions, as she recorded almost the same trust and indecision figures in these subgroupings (33% to 37% versus 39% to 47%).”

The survey is based on a sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above, and has a ± 3% error margin at the 95% confidence level, with a ± 6% error margin also at 95% confidence level for each of the geographic areas covered.

Sought for comment, University of Sto. Tomas political science professor Edmund S. Tayao said the SWS and Pulse Asia may have presented their questions differently, or may have used “leading questions.”

Senators including Mr. Pimentel, for their part, affirmed the survey’s findings. Senate Majority Leader Vicente C. Sotto III said,”Siyempre dahil walang deduction at straight reporting ng approval, undecided and disapproval, trust, undecided and distrust. Yung net style is very deceiving. Ano, right minus wrong? Kahit sa eskwela hindi na ginagamit yun.” (Of course, because there were no deductions and the approval, undecided, and disapproval; trust, undecided and distrust were reported straight to the point. Net style is very deceiving, like right minus wrong? It’s not even used anymore in schools.)

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, for his part, said: “The bottomline here is that he still enjoys a highly respectable support from the vast majority of Filipinos. Why? I can only venture a calculated guess anchored on my long years in government service not to mention my own dealings with people from all walks of life. Here it is. Mr Juan de la Cruz has gotten tired of the more-of-the-same type of leaders as far back as he has already suffered and he is now experiencing a different type in Rodrigo Roa Duterte. The short and long of it is that he sees hope and he smells change.”

A spokesman for the Chief Justice, lawyer Josalee S. Deinla, for her part said: “The incessant attacks and vicious smear campaign against Chief Justice Sereno are expected to affect her net satisfaction ratings. For the past months, she has been publicly vilified to justify attempts to unseat her on the basis of unfounded allegations, which are not even impeachable offenses under the Constitution. As the country’s top magistrate, Chief Justice Sereno will continue to fulfill her duties and constitutional mandate regardless of survey results. She remains confident that when all the facts are presented, the allegations being leveled against her – all being falsehoods – will ultimately crumble.”

And Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto C. Abella for his part said: “Despite the multifaceted political noise, President Duterte is still the most approved and the most trusted government official in the Philippines today with an 80 percent approval rating and 80 percent trust rating. Take note.”

“We hope these survey results inspire us in the government that despite the odds and challenges, we continue to provide a comfortable life for all Filipinos in an environment free from illegal drugs and criminality. This is the way we return the overwhelming confidence and trust bestowed by our people on the President,” he added. – Rosemarie A. Zamora and Mario M. Banzon

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