Duterte still most trusted exec—Pulse

President Duterte shakes hands with Vice President Leni Robredo.With them are Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II (left) and Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS DIVISION

Despite impeachment threats against the country’s two highest officials, most Filipinos still trust and approve of the performance of President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo in the first quarter of 2017, according to a recent survey by Pulse Asia.

The survey, conducted from March 15 to 20, showed that President Duterte was still the most trusted Philippine official with a 76-percent rating, despite a seven-point drop from his score in the previous quarter.

READ: Duterte performance, trust ratings dip—Pulse Asia

Pulse Asia said the decline in Duterte’s trust rating was “the only significant movement at this time” on public sentiments regarding trustworthiness of top government officials. All other figures were “virtually unchanged” between December 2016 and March 2017, Pulse Asia said.

The President scored majority trust ratings in all geographic areas (from 67 to 90 percent) and socioeconomic classes (from 74 percent to 84 percent). He also got the lowest distrust rating among the officials at 5 percent.

Comparative trust ratings of top national officials. Pulse Asia

Robredo, meanwhile, received a 56-percent trust rating from respondents. While she enjoyed majority trust ratings in almost all geographic areas and socioeconomic groupings, the Vice President recorded the highest distrust rating among the top national officials at 16 percent.

Robredo’s indecision rating dropped by 24 percentage points in class ABC but distrust for her increased in the same grouping by 21 percentage points. She posted plurality trust scores in Metro Manila (44 percent) and among class ABC respondents (49 percent).

Pulse Asia said a “big plurality” of Filipinos (44 percent undecided) could not say whether or not they trust Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who received a 37-percent trust rating. Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno posted trust ratings of 51 and 40 percent, respectively.

As to his performance, Duterte received a 78-percent approval rating, or five points lower than his score in December. Only the President received majority approval scores in all geographic areas and socioeconomic classes.

Comparative performance ratings of top national officials. Pulse Asia

Robredo also registered majority approval ratings in most geographic areas and socio-economic groupings (58 to 61 percent and 57 to 66 percent, respectively), except in Metro Manila and among Class ABC respondents where she posted a near majority approval score of 46 percent.

Pimentel, Alvarez, and Sereno got performance ratings of 60 percent, 41 percent, and 47 percent, respectively. Pulse Asia noted that Alvarez’s only majority approval rating was given by Mindanaoan respondents (56 percent).

The decline in the top officials’ approval scores were considered insignificant, Pulse Asia said. The survey, conducted among 1,200 adult respondents, had an overall error margin of +/- 3 percentage points. JE/rga