PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte maintained a “very good” net satisfaction rating among the Filipinos for the fourth quarter of 2016, according to the latest survey released by pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS).
The survey, conducted from December 3 to 6, showed that Duterte received a net satisfaction score of “very good” +63, steady from “very good” +64 registered in September.
The SWS noted that while Duterte’s net satisfaction rating in his bailiwick Mindanao remained “excellent,” it plunged by 11 points to +74 from September’s +85.
Duterte’s net satisfaction in Balance Luzon was up three points to “very good” +60 from +57 in the previous survey. On the other, net satisfaction was retained in Visayas (“very good” +61 from +62 in September) and Manila (“very good” +59 from September’s +58).
Net satisfaction ratings remained “very good” in Class ABC (+52 from +56 in September), Class D (+64 from +65 in September), and Class E (+61 from +65 in September).
In a statement, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar expressed gratitude that the President obtained “very good” net satisfaction ratings in two consecutive surveys since he became president in July.
Andanar said the strong support Duterte is still getting from the public will serve as an inspiration for him to “redouble his energy to be true to his oath of office and fulfill his promise of getting rid of drugs, crime and corruption.”
But despite the “very good” net satisfaction rating, the SWS noted that 51 percent of the respondents believed that Duterte’s cursing of foreign officials may affect the Philippines’ relations with other countries.
Only 33 percent disagreed that Duterte’s expletive-laced statements could harm the Philippines while 17 percent were undecided.
Andanar appealed to the public to understand the President over his pronouncements, which he said are not “personal attacks” but “mere expressions of disgust and impatience.”
“On the President’s colorful language, we ask for our people’s understanding as these utterances are not personal attacks directed at particular persons but mere expressions of disgust and impatience over the many unresolved and unaddressed issues that remain pervasive to this day,” he said.
The SWS interviewed 1,500 respondents, using sampling error margins of ±3 percentage points for national percentages, 4 percentage points for Balance Luzon, and 6 percentage points each for Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao. (Sunnex)