MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he was “not surprised” by the recent Pulse Asia survey which showed his public approval rating dropping by double digits from the second to the third quarter of the year.

“People are having a hard time. Bigas ito eh, ibang usapin ang bigas (This is rice, rice is a different issue for the public). It’s different from anything else, any other agricultural product,” he said in an ambush interview after the distribution of confiscated rice to government beneficiaries on Wednesday, October 4.

“Kaya hindi mo masisi ang tao. Talagang naghihirap sila eh (You cannot blame the public. They are really suffering),” he added. “That’s perfectly natural. It’s not a surprise.”

Based on the Pulse Asia survey released on Monday, October 2, Marcos’ approval score slid by 15 percentage points, resulting in a 65% rating in September, compared to 80% in June.

His biggest drop was among Class E – the poorest of the poor – where his approval rating dropped by 29 percentage points.

Watch his full reaction here. – Rappler.com