MANILA, Philippines – The rise in the satisfaction ratings of Vice President Leni Robredo can be attributed to her successful stint as the drug czar, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez thanked Filipinos for their continuous trust in the Vice President, after polling firm Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed results of its 2019 fourth-quarter survey on Robredo and other government officials.
“We thank our countrymen for their continuous support and trust in the service of Vice President Leni,” Guiterrez said in Filipino hours after SWS released its report.
“This survey mirrors the results of a previous survey that many Filipinos were happy with her job as co-chair of the ICAD,” he added.
According to SWS, 56% of Filipinos were satisfied with Robredo’s work, while 23% were dissatisfied, for a net score of +36. This is three points higher than Robredo’s +33 net rating last October 2019.
READ: SWS: Net satisfaction ratings of Robredo, Sotto, Cayetano rise
Robredo was placed by President Rodrigo Duterte as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) after the President was irritated with the former’s criticism of the drug war.
The Vice President started working for ICAD last Nov. 6 but was fired by Duterte just 19 days into her stint after she supposedly talked with foreign organizations that the government has rebuked. Duterte recently appointed Anti-Corruption Commissioner Dante Jimenez to succeed Robredo.
READ: PACC’s Dante Jimenez named new ICAD co-chair
READ: Robredo to Jimenez: seize chance to correct past wrongs in drug war
But during her term, Robredo pushed for several issues in the conduct of the administration’s war against illegal drugs, like the scrapping of the police’s Oplan Tokhang, the creation of a baseline data on the drug war, and the strengthening of community based-rehabilitation efforts.
“Everyone can expect that VP Leni would continue his service to all Filipinos and her courageous stand for rights and the interest of our country,” Gutierrez said.
/atm