MANILA, Philippines — The approval and trust ratings of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vice President Sara Duterte, and the country’s top congressional leaders have declined, as more Filipinos expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of key issues such as inflation, poverty, unemployment, and corruption, according to Pulse Asia’s Ulat ng Bayan survey released on Saturday.
Conducted from Nov. 26 to Dec. 3, the survey revealed that the government received majority approval ratings in only two out of 14 national issues evaluated.
These were its efforts to protect the welfare of overseas Filipino workers, which garnered a 60 percent approval rating, and its response to calamity-stricken areas, which scored 57 percent approval.
The government’s lowest rating was on controlling inflation, which managed only 2 percent approval.
Inflation rose to 2.5 percent in November from 2.3 percent in October, driven by storm-related disruptions to the food supply and a weakened peso that inflated the cost of imports, including oil, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported.
Other issues with low approval ratings included poverty reduction (13 percent), fighting graft and corruption (16 percent), raising workers’ wages (19 percent), addressing involuntary hunger (20 percent), and job creation (23 percent).
Declining Approval Ratings
President Marcos’ approval rating decreased by 2 percentage points to 48 percent in November, down from 50 percent in September. His trust rating also fell by 3 percentage points, landing at 47 percent.
Regionally, Marcos’ approval rating fell in most areas except Luzon, where it improved from 61 percent to 65 percent. The largest drop was in Mindanao, where it declined from 26 percent to 14 percent. In the Visayas, it went from 52 percent to 48 percent, and in Metro Manila, it fell slightly by 1 percentage point to 51 percent.
Among socioeconomic classes, his approval rating saw the steepest decline among Class E respondents, falling from 47 percent to 35 percent. However, it rose slightly among Class ABC, from 35 percent to 39 percent.
Marcos’ trust rating dropped the most in Mindanao, declining to 14 percent from 21 percent. Among Class E respondents, it fell from 47 percent to 33 percent.
Vice President Duterte’s Declines
Vice President Duterte experienced more significant declines. Her approval rating dropped by 10 percentage points, from 60 percent to 50 percent, while her trust rating fell by 12 percentage points, from 61 percent to 49 percent.
Regionally, her approval rating fell in all areas, with the biggest drop in the Visayas, where it declined by 20 percentage points from 71 percent to 51 percent. Among socioeconomic classes, Class D respondents showed the sharpest decline, from 59 percent to 49 percent.
Similarly, Duterte’s trust rating dropped in all regions, with the most significant decline in the Visayas, from 74 percent to 47 percent. Among socioeconomic classes, her trust rating fell from 59 percent to 47 percent among Class D respondents.
The survey was conducted shortly after tensions between Marcos and Duterte escalated. On Nov. 22, days before the survey began, Duterte claimed she had instructed someone to assassinate Marcos, his wife, and his cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez, should an alleged plot against her succeed.
Congressional Leaders
Senate President Francis Escudero saw his approval rating decline by 7 percentage points, from 60 percent to 53 percent. His trust rating also dropped by 5 percentage points, from 56 percent to 51 percent. Despite this, Escudero remained the only public official in the survey to maintain majority approval and trust ratings.
Speaker Martin Romualdez experienced declines in both approval and trust ratings. His approval rating dropped from 32 percent to 25 percent, while his trust rating fell significantly from 31 percent to 21 percent.
