THE latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed a dip in President Rodrigo Duterte's satisfaction rating although it remained "very good".
The September 27 to 30 survey found that 78 percent of adult Filipinos expressed satisfaction with Duterte’s performance, down by two percentage points from 80 percent registered in June.
Only 13 percent were not satisfied with Duterte’s performance, while nine percent were ambivalent on the matter.
The poll results yielded a net satisfaction rating of “very good” +65, three points below the Chief Executive’s personal record-high “very good” +68 in June.
The SWS survey results were released on the heels of the Pulse Asia survey, which showed that Duterte's approval rating went down by seven percentage points to 78 percent while his trust score fell by 11 percentage points to 74 percent.
The Pulse Asia survey was conducted from September 16 to 22 amid the Senate investigation into the controversial early release of heinous crime convicts and the supposed involvement of some police officers in illegal drugs.
Read: Survey shows drop in Duterte's approval, trust scores
The three-point decline in Duterte's net satisfaction score from June to September was due to decreases in Balance Luzon (“very good” +54 from “very good” +65) and Mindanao (“excellent” +76 from “excellent” +81), combined with increases in the Visayas (“excellent” +75 from “very good” +66) and Metro Manila (“very good” +66 from “very good” +59).
Duterte’s net satisfaction rating rose to “excellent” +70 from “very good” +58 in Class ABC, while it stayed “very good” among classes D (+66 from +68) and E (+57 from +68).
He also retained a “very good” net satisfaction rating in urban (+66 from +67) and rural (+64 from +68) areas; among men (+68 from +67) and women (+64 from +69); age groups 18 to 24 (+64 from +67) and 45 to 54 (+63 from +61); and elementary school graduates (+60 from +62), non-elementary school graduates (+65 from +68), and college graduates (+67 from +63).
The President's net satisfaction rating, however, fell from “excellent” to “very good” among age groups 35 to 44 (+63 from +73), 25 to 34 (+64 from +72), and 55 and above (+68 from +70), as well as among high school graduates (+67 from +74).
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the slight dip in Duterte’s net satisfaction rating was “insignificant.”
“While the President would simply shrug off his survey numbers, saying he is not interested in any popularity contest relative to his governance because with or without a soaring satisfaction rating, he is unaffected and will just continue to do his constitutional task of serving and protecting the people even at the loss of his life, liberty and honour,” he said.
”It is indisputable that the Filipino people remain enamoured with President Duterte, as well as in his policies and actions of governance, to the consternation and envy of his incorrigible critics and detractors,” the Palace official added.
Panelo, nevertheless, assured the public that Duterte’s administration would remain ”tireless and hardworking in the service of the nation” to give “comfortable, safe and secure” life to Filipinos.
The SWS interviewed 1,800 adult Filipinos using sampling error margins of ±2.3 percentage points for national percentages, ±4 percentage points each for Balance Luzon and Mindanao, and ±6 percentage points each for Metro Manila and the Visayas. (SunStar Philippines)