Of the 1,723 netizens who answered Inquirer’s Twitter poll on President Rodrigo Duterte’s foreign trips, more than half or 55 percent of the respondents said it was not worth it.
On Monday, Inquirer posted on Twitter: “#INQPoll: Duterte: 21 trips, 17 countries, 1 year in office https://ebx.sh/2sOCwC9 Worth it?”
It was linked to an Inquirer special report titled “Duterte: 21 trips, 17 countries, 77,542 miles.”
READ: Duterte: 21 trips, 17 countries, 77,542 miles
Fifty-five percent of those who voted picked “No, not worth it” while 45 percent said “Yes, worth it.”
Musician Jim Paredes reacted to the poll, saying, “So far there (are) only promises. Wala pang investments (No investments yet). Besides, did the artists and friends he brought negotiate the deals? Were they necessary?”
Meanwhile, netizen @iMADBasher said, “Our President is doing great on international relations. He has been very famous around the world for his administration.”
Another Twitter user @JennyRockwell disagreed, saying, “Where are the commitments? All they’ve accomplished: overspending & disadvantageous loans. How can these trips be worth the people’s money?”
Twitter user @benjamin7321 said that while the business trips are “ok” the “huge number of escorts are definitely not right.”
Netizens earlier criticized the administration for the large number of people joining the official delegation.
The INQUIRER.net Twitter poll is not a scientific survey. It is an interactivity tool that can, within its limits, reflect the interests of online readers. KS/rga