Duterte ratings dip expected but ‘love still there’ – Malacañang

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang said the dip in President Rodrigo Duterte’s satisfaction and trust ratings is “expected, given the fact that people start measuring their expectations usually after the honeymoon period,” but added that “the love is still there.”

Duterte saw an 18-point decline in his net satisfaction rating in the September 2017 survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS), while his net trust rating slid by 15 points. His net satisfaction rating of +48 was still classified as “good” by the SWS, while his net trust rating of +60 is “very good.”

In a press briefing on Monday, October 9, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the decline, at this time, is normal for any administration.

“This is traditionally happening after a year or [a] year and [a] half. And, you know, the love is still there,” Abella said.

He added that the decline could be due to people now managing their expectations, and waiting for Duterte to deliver “the full spectrum of public services” that were promised during the 2016 campaign period.

“[The President] is making sure that the Philippines will have the proper foundation – crime-free, drug-free, and corruption-free,” Abella said.

“[The people’s] expectations were high and the actual implementation of these things may have led to the dip. However, people are still in general, still satisfied,” he added.

Critics from both the Senate and the House of Representatives have said the survey results reflect growing outrage over the Duterte administration’s bloody drug war.

Asked whether the war on drugs is to blame for the ratings dip, Abella responded by reiterating that the President intends to crack down on drugs, crime, and corruption.

“I think it’s a question of being able to manage everything. It’s not the failure of one. It is a whole system approach… Just delivering on the 3 campaign promises already is a humongous job… The people, I believe, appreciate that,” he said.

Duterte earlier vowed the war on drugs would be unrelenting, despite criticism here and abroad. Will the SWS survey change the way it’s being conducted?

“You know, there’s a continual recalibration of the way the operations are handled. The President is very sensitive to all of these things. However, there will be no changes in the sense that the efforts will continue to make sure that the drug apparatus will be dismantled,” Abella said.

Outrage over the war on drugs grew in recent weeks after the high-profile deaths of two teenagers at the hands of Caloocan City police – Kian delos Santos and Carl Arnaiz.

Protesters who marked the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law last September 21 also condemned alleged abuses in Duterte’s drug war. This was a couple of days before the survey was conducted – something which Abella said may have had an effect on the polling.

“The SWS survey was conducted between September 23 [and] 27, just two days after the National Day of Protest … and some sentiments may have spilled over,” Abella said.

A separate SWS survey conducted last June, with the results released in September, showed that half of Filipinos do not believe cops’ explanation that suspects were shot dead because they fought back. – Rappler.com