PUBLIC satisfaction with President Rodrigo Duterte stayed "very good" in the January to March 2019 period, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) said in its latest poll.
The survey, which was conducted from March 28 to 31, found 79 percent of adult Filipinos were satisfied with Duterte's performance, while only 13 percent were dissatisfied.
The remaining eight percent could not say whether they were satisfied or dissatisfied with the President's work.
The poll results yielded a net satisfaction score of "very good" +66, eight points higher than December 2018's "very good" +60.
The latest net satisfaction rating also ties Duterte's personal high set in June 2017, the SWS noted.
The six-point rise in the Chief Executive's net satisfaction was due to increases of 15 points in Mindanao ("excellent" +88), seven points in the Visayas ("very good" +69), four points in Balance Luzon ("very good" +56), and three points in Metro Manila ("very good" +61).
Duterte also retained a "very good" net satisfaction in Classes ABC (+69 from +62), D (+68 from +58), and E (+58 from +65).
His net satisfaction also stayed "very good" in rural areas (+69 from +57) and urban areas (+62 from +64).
It also remained "very good" among men (+68 from +63), women (+65 from +57), age group 45 to 54 (+68 from +52), aged 55 and above (+61 from +59), high school graduates (+67 rom +62), and elementary school graduates (+60 from +56).
The President's net satisfaction also improved by one grade to "excellent" from "very good" among age groups 18 to 24 (+70 from +62) and 35 to 44 (+70 from +62), as well as among college graduates (+74 from +65), and non-elementary school graduates (+71 from +58).
In a statement on Thursday, April 11, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the poll results indicate a "crystal clear" message that "the more the critics and detractors malign [Duterte], the higher the rating he gets."
Panelo said the improved net satisfaction score would motivate Duterte to make the country a "state of peace and progress."
"The Palace notes and welcomes the results of the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations, which shows that 79 percent of adult Filipinos are satisfied with the performance of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte with a 6-point increase in his net satisfaction rating from +60 in December 2018 to +66 in March 2019," Panelo said.
"These political adversaries are being swallowed by their own hubris. Survey after survey they are being repudiated. They appear to be ensconced if not entangled in their own web of lies that they cannot unshackle themselves from it," he added.
The President would not be distracted by "negative force," as he is determined to pursue his goal of "liberating the people from the causes that enslave them and stunt the growth of the country," Panelo said.
Panelo stressed that Duterte is "racing against time to fulfill his campaign promise of slaying the dragon of illegal drugs, criminality, corruption and rebellion, as well as providing the people with a comfortable life under a reign of peace during his term."
"The critics, detractors and the political opposition have been deaf to the voice of a great majority of our people and blind to the sweeping changes in the political and social landscape effected by this unorthodox, maverick and daredevil leader who is fiercely devoted to -- and protective of -- the interest of the greater masses of our people," the Palace official said.
"Rather than continue with their hate campaign against the President they should join the majority supporting Administration's programs designed to serve and protect the nation and its citizenry and start contributing for the country’s progress," he added.
The SWS faced 1,440 adult Filipinos for the survey, using sampling error margins of ±2.6 percentage points for national percentages, and ±5 percentage points each for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao. (SunStar Philippines)