Duterte’s popularity rises when critics attack him–Palace

President Duterte’s popularity and satisfaction ratings will continue to rise despite his detractors’ attempt to malign him, Malacañang said on Thursday.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said this was proven by the recent poll showing that 79 percent of Filipinos were satisfied with the President.

“The message of the survey is crystal clear. The more the critics and detractors malign him, the higher the rating he gets,” Panelo said in a statement.

“These political adversaries are being swallowed by their own hubris … They appear to be ensconced, if not entangled, in their own web of lies that they cannot unshackle themselves from it,” he added.

A recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that Duterte’s net satisfaction rating rose from a net +60 in December 2018 to a net +66 in March 2019, with 79 percent saying they were satisfied and 13 percent saying they were not satisfied.

At a press briefing, Panelo called on the President’s critics to join the Duterte administration in delivering its promises to the public.

The President’s latest SWS performance rating was 6 points better than the “very good” +60 he got in December 2018 and tied his personal best, which he received in June 2017.

According to SWS, the rise in Duterte’s ratings was due to the 15-point increase in Mindanao, from +73 in December 2018 to +88 in March 2019.

His ratings also rose 7 points in the Visayas (+69), 4 points in Luzon outside of Manila (+56), and 3 points in Metro Manila (+61). —REPORTS FROM JULIE M. AURELIO AND INQUIRER RESEARCH