Palace says drop in Duterte’s rating ‘insignificant’

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Wednesday brushed off as “insignificant” the drop in the net satisfaction rating of President Rodrigo Duterte in the third quarter of 2019, saying that the Chief Executive was “not interested in any popularity contest.”

According to a survey by Social Weather Station (SWS), the President garnered a net satisfaction rating of +65, a three-point drop from his personal record-high of +68 in the second quarter of the year.

The survey, which was released Wednesday, showed that 78% of adult Filipinos said they were satisfied with the performance of Duterte and 13% said they were dissatisfied, while 9% said they were undecided.

READ: Duterte’s net satisfaction rating dips a little in Q3 2019 – SWS

But for Panelo, who is also the chief presidential legal counsel, the drop is “insignificant” as the pollster still classified the President’s September rating as “very good.”

“While the President would simply shrug off his survey numbers, saying he is not interested in any popularity contest relative to his governance because with or without a soaring satisfaction rating, he is unaffected and will just continue to do his constitutional task of serving and protecting the people even at the loss of his life, liberty and honor,” Panelo said.

“It is indisputable that the Filipino people remain enamored with President Duterte, as well as in his policies and actions of governance, to the consternation and envy of his incorrigible critics and detractors,” he added.

The Palace official went on urge everyone in the bureaucracy to “remain tireless and hardworking in the service of the nation as we continue to build President Duterte’s legacy of building a nation where Filipinos are comfortable, safe and secure.”

/atm