Escudero: Arrogant, insensitive execs partly to blame for Duterte ratings dip

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

President Rodrigo Duterte’s “arrogant and insensitive officials” administering the government’s campaign against illegal drugs were partly to blame for the decline in his satisfaction ratings, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on Monday.

According to Escudero, the Duterte administration should correct its “officials,” whom he did not identify, for being “numb, arrogant, and insensitive” when it comes to dealing with issues hounding the bloody drive against illegal drug.

“‘Yung drug war, dapat bawasan ng konti lalo na sa parte ng kanyang mga opisyal—‘yung pagiging manhid, arogante at tila walang pakialam,” Escudero said in an ambush interview on Monday.

“Dapat mas maging sensitibo sila lalo na buhay ng ating mga kababayan ang involved dito, tulak man o hindi,” he added.

Escudero said the drop in Duterte’s ratings should serve as a “wake up call” to the administration.

Meanwhile, Senator Bam Aquino, said the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) approach in the so-called war on drugs has affected its commander-in-chief’s ratings.

The investigations that looked into the killings, especially of teenagers Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman, contributed to the decline in Duterte’s ratings, Aquino also said.

“Marami nang Pilipino ang natatakot na maging collateral damage ng drug war,” he noted.

“The President should not take this for granted. Panahon na upang makinig ang Malacañang sa pangamba ng taumbayan ukol sa patayan sa ating mga komunidad,” he added.

Senate Minority leader Franklin Drilon, for his part, said the negative results of the survey were something Duterte inflicted upon himself.

“Sa akin, self-inflicted ito ngunit ito’y isang survey lamang. I will not pass judgment until the next one or two surveys because that will show the trend,” Drilon told reporters.

“Ito’y dapat tingnan nang husto ng pamahalaan, because while it is just one survey and is not reflective of the trend, they should re-examine their policies and the execution of these policies before these continued declines become a trend,” he said.

Mr. Duterte’s net satisfaction rating fell to “good” from “very good” based on the survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) from September 23 to 27.

READ: SWS: Duterte’s net satisfaction rating down from ‘very good’ to ‘good

/kga

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