MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte is the biggest loser in the October survey of research group OCTA, as her satisfaction rating plunges by double digits.

Seventy percent of Filipinos are still satisfied with her performance as the country’s veep – the highest among the top five government officials – but she bled 12 percentage points from the previous time OCTA conducted its survey in July.

She lost ground across all key geographic regions (A 16-percentage-point drop in the Visayas, and 12-percentage-point drop in Balance Luzon), and socioeconomic classes (22-percentage-point drop among Class E, and 19-percentage-point drop among Class ABC).

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also hemorrhaged support, with his satisfaction rating dropping by six percentage points from second to the third quarter of 2023, although 65% of Filipinos remain content with his performance.

Across key geographic regions and socioeconomic classes, Marcos’ satisfaction rating declined the highest in Metro Manila (12-percentage-point drop).

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, meanwhile, saw their satisfaction rating increase by one and six percentage points, respectively. Romualdez’s satisfaction rating is 61%; Zubiri, at 58%.

Only 20% are satisfied with the performance Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo. The number is lower by eight percentage points from last quarter’s 28%.

Trust rating

Duterte also remains the most trusted government official, with a trust rating of 75%, although that number is an eight-percentage-point drop from last quarter – again the biggest tumble among the country’s five highest-ranking officials.

Marcos’ trust rating slightly declined from 75% to 73%, while Zubiri and Romualdez saw overall increases in their trust ratings.

The survey was conducted from September 30 to October 4, days after the House of Representatives wrapped up its deliberations on the proposed 2024 budget.

Hogging national headlines at the time were the finding that Vice President Sara Duterte spent her P125 million in confidential funds in 2022 within 11 days, and lawmakers’ decision to strip her offices of the secret funds.

A total of 1,200 respondents participated in the survey, which had a margin of error of ±3%.

Earlier in October, Pulse Asia released its third quarter survey showing that Marcos and Duterte’s approval numbers took a double-digit plunge from the second quarter of 2023. – Rappler.com