Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s satisfaction rating continues to drop, though a majority of Filipinos still approve of his performance, according to a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

In the poll, conducted from September 12 to 16, 67% of Filipinos said they were satisfied with Duterte as chief executive – an 8-percentage-point decrease from his 75% rating in June.

That June rating was the same as Duterte’s satisfaction rating in May, which was lower than his personal best 84% satisfaction rating in November 2020.

Meanwhile, 15% of respondents of the latest survey said they were dissatisfied with Duterte’s performance while 11% were undecided.

In terms of net satisfaction rating (percent satisfied minus percent dissatisfied), Duterte scored +52. This is a 10-point drop from his +62 rating in June. Both are classified by SWS as “very good.”

Big drop in Luzon

Satisfaction with Duterte’s performance suffered the most in Luzon. In Metro Manila, his net satisfaction rating dropped by 15 points (from +68 to +48), leading to a downgrade from “very good” to “good.”

The same story was found in Balance of Luzon, where his net rating took a 14-point hit, dropping from +58 to +44.

In the Visayas, there was also a decline in satisfaction – from +53 to +44, a 9-point drop.

As usual, Mindanao saved the day for Duterte. His rating in his home region stayed at “excellent,” virtually fixed from +79 in June to +76 in September.

But signs of decline persisted in numbers pertaining to residents of urban and rural areas. Urbanites are less satisfied with the President, bringing his rating in their areas down by 16 points, from +65 to +49.

Satisfaction among those living in rural parts, also went down, by 6 points (from +61 to +55).

Right before elections

The SWS survey was conducted right after Pulse Asia’s survey, which found fewer Filipinos approving the Duterte government’s COVID-19 response and efforts to fight corruption.

The same survey showed a decline in approval rating across the board – in fighting criminality, responding to calamities, protecting migrant workers, promoting peace, enforcing the law, defending Philippine territory, creating more jobs, reducing poverty, controlling inflation, and more.

Duterte’s falling satisfaction ratings were recorded a month before politicians filed their candidacies for the 2022 elections with the Commission on Elections.

The President, who was expected to run for vice president, ended up dropping from the race and announcing his retirement from politics.

Among the contenders for his position next year are opposition leader Vice President Leni Robredo, boxing champ and senator Manny Pacquiao, Senator Panfilo Lacson, Senator Ronald dela Rosa, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, labor leader Leody de Guzman, and former senator and dictator’s son Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, has announced she would not seek the presidency in 2022, though her allies are hopeful she will reconsider by November 15, the last day for filing substitutions of party-fielded candidates. – Rappler.com