Duterte’s ‘stratospheric’ approval rating ‘unprecedented,’ says Panelo
MANILA, Philippines — Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Saturday said no other president in the country’s history has passed the midpoint portion of a term with such high approval rating as President Rodrigo Duterte.
A Pulse Asia survey showed that Duterte’s approval rating climbed nine notches to 87 percent in December.
This “stratospheric” approval rating, Panelo said, is “unprecedented.”
“History tells us that no President has passed the midpoint of his presidential term with such a high approval rating. It has always been a downtrend,” Panelo said in a statement.
“President Duterte overcame this trajectory. The disapproval rating has been reduced to a measly 5%,” he added.
Panelo said that the approval rating shows the Filipinos’ unity in supporting the president and the administration’s programs targetted towards “uplifting the social and economic condition of the masses of our people.”
“This latest approval rating is a clear repudiation of the fabricated tale and the false narratives of the haters of the President including the foreign entities that have joined the fray with blinders in their eyes,” Panelo said, noting that the survey mirrors the performance of the administration.
“It signifies that almost all Filipinos – with more than 8 out of 10 of them – feel that there has been a genuine, meaningful and positive change in almost every aspect of society, as solemnly committed by PRRD during the campaign in 2016,” he added.
Panelo also assured the public that Duterte “will continue to work, unmindful of the laurels he is reaping in terms of the people’s acceptance, until his last day in office to serve and protect the interest and welfare of the Filipino people.”
According to the survey showed to reporters following a meeting of the National Economic and Development Authority Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee (Neda ICC-CabCom), Duterte’s approval rating rose from 78 percent in September to 87 percent in December.
His disapproval rating dipped from 8 percent in September to 5 percent in December.
“If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time ever that, at this point in any administration, that the President has reached this high… I think this is a historical high at any President from this stage,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said.
