MANILA, Philippines — The majority of the Filipino public’s trust and approval among the highest leaders in the country remain high although President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s rating declined, local polling firm Pulse Asia said Wednesday.
The result came less than a week before the third state of the nation address of Marcos where Duterte is reportedly skipping the annual address of the country’s highest elected official.
Recent data revealed a two-point rise in Vice President Sara Duterte’s approval rating, increasing from 67 percent in March to 69 percent in June. Her trust rating remained steady at 71 percentage points for both months.
In comparison, Marcos saw a decline in both approval and trust ratings from March to June this year, dropping from 55 percent to 53 percent in approval and from 57 percent to 52 percent in trust, according to PulseAsia.
“Of these leading government officials, only the Vice-President enjoys majority approval figures in each geographic area and socio-economic class (54% to 95% and 57 percent to 82 percent respectively),” it said in its report.
Meanwhile, the polling firm likewise said that the President recorded his majority of approval in several regions and demographic groups across Luzon. But Luzon also reported the biggest decline in Marcos’ approval rating at nine percentage points, from 66 percent to 57 percent.
However, in Mindanao, there is a split opinion, with a significant portion undecided or critical of the President’s performance.
Over 38 percent of respondents in Mindanao approve of the President’s performance, while 34 percent are undecided, and 28 percent criticize the chief executive’s performance.
Among higher-income groups (Class ABC), Marcos’s approval dropped by 13 percent while in the middle-income bracket (Class D), there was a three-point decline. However, in the lower-income bracket (Class E), he gained four percentage points, PulseAsia said.
For Duterte, her approval ratings increased by 12 points in NCR, 16 points in the Visayas, and three points in Mindanao. There was only a seven-point decrease in Luzon.
Regarding economic brackets, Duterte’s approval surged by 17 percent in Class E, rising from 65 percent to 82 percent. In contrast, her approval fell by 6 percent among Class ABC, with a 1-point increase in Class D.
