FALSE: ‘98% trust Duterte following ABS-CBN shutdown’

Claim: President Rodrigo Duterte enjoys “98%” of Filipinos’ trust following the “closure” of broadcast network ABS-CBN. 

In a graphic card posted last February 11, the Facebook page Blessed Be Philippines included supposed survey ratings before and after the “closure” of ABS-CBN.

“Mga nagtitiwala sa Pangulo bago isara ang ABS-CBN, 87%,” said the first line in the graphic.

“Mga nagtitiwala sa Pangulo matapos isara ang ABS-CBN, 98%” said the next line.

(Those who trust the President before the shutdown of ABS-CBN, 87%. Those who trust the President after the shutdown of ABS-CBN, 98%.)

The post has been shared over 5,800 times, gotten more than 6,200 reactions, and received nearly 1,000 comments as of writing. It was also spotted through Facebook’s Claim Check dashboard.

Rating: FALSE

The facts: At the time this claim was spread, the “98%” rating was not in the latest major nationwide surveys measuring Filipinos’ trust in the President.

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia conduct surveys on Filipinos’ approval and trust ratings for the President every quarter. The last available surveys for both firms were conducted in December 2019, and the next will be in March 2020.

There is no SWS or Pulse Asia survey as of February 11 that reflects the supposed “98%” rating. In addition, the Facebook post did not cite its source for the ratings on its graphic card.

The December 2019 SWS survey showed that Duterte got an 82% satisfaction rating, his highest rating so far. Only 10% were dissatisfied, bringing his net satisfaction rating to +72.

Meanwhile, in the December 2019 Pulse Asia survey, Duterte received an 87% approval rating (up 9 points from September) and an 83% trust rating (up 9 points from September).

Also, as of this writing and at the time the claim was shared, ABS-CBN is still operating. But it is facing roadblocks in the renewal of its franchise in Congress, as well as a quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida with the Supreme Court. (READ: EXPLAINER: Legal points in Calida’s quo warranto vs ABS-CBN)

ABS-CBN’s franchise is set to expire on March 30.

Rappler has previously fact-checked content by Facebook page Blessed Be Philippines. In October 2019, it falsely claimed that there were “no poor Filipinos” during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos and that the “real poverty” happened during the terms of Corazon Aquino and Benigno Aquino III.

In November 2019, it was among the Facebook pages that posted wrong pie charts supposedly illustrating each administration’s “share” in the country’s national debt. – Michael Bueza/Rappler.com

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.