Top official’s ratings down in Pulse Asia survey

President Ferdinand Marcos (left) and Vice President Sara Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — The approval and trust ratings of both President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte declined in the latest Ulat ng Bayan nationwide survey of Pulse Asia.

The survey, conducted from Sept. 6 to 13, showed that the President’s approval score dipped by 3 percentage points from 53 percent in June to 50 percent in September. Marcos’ trust rating went down 2 percentage points from 52 percent to 50 percent during the same period.

Developments during survey

Duterte, on the other hand, experienced significant decreases both in approval and trust score. Her approval score fell by 9 percentage points from 69 percent to 60 percent while her trust score dropped by 10 percentage points from 71 percent to 61 percent during the same period.

READ: Controlling inflation still the top concern for Filipinos – Pulse Asia

For other top officials, Senate President Francis Escudero scored a 60-percent approval rating in September. His trust rating dropped by 13 percentage points from 69 percent in June to 56 percent in September.

Speaker Martin Romualdez saw his approval rating dipping from 35 percent to 32 percent and his trust rating, from 35 percent to 31 percent.

The survey used face-to-face interviews with 2,400 adult respondents and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2 percentage points for national estimates and plus-or-minus 4 percentage points for each geographical area.

Among the news developments in the weeks leading up to and during the conduct of survey were the arrest of Apollo Quiboloy, leader and founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ; hearings on the budget of the Office of the Vice President and on Philippine offshore gaming operators; continuing tensions between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea; and the public backlash over the food poverty threshold released by the National Economic and Development Authority which pegged at P21 per meal the minimum cost of food to meet a person’s micronutrient needs.—Marielle Medina, Inquirer Research