MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s satisfaction score suffered a double-digit drop in Mindanao – the bailiwick of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte – but rose everywhere else, according to a survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS) in December last year.

Marcos’ net satisfaction rating was at 38 points in the last month of 2023, down from 50 points recorded in September of that same year.

The double-digit plunge logged in Mindanao was offset by a double-digit gain in Marcos’ net satisfaction in the Visayas.

The bullet points below enumerate the adjustments in Marcos’ numbers per geographic area:

• Metro Manila: 44 points in December (up from 36 points in September)
• Balance Luzon: 52 points in December (up from 48 points in September)
• Visayas: 51 points in December (up from 33 points in September)
• Mindanao: 38 points in December (down from 50 points in September)

Nationwide, Marcos’ net satisfaction rating was 47 points for the last quarter of 2023, a three-point increase from the third quarter. SWS classifies this number as “good.”

Sara Duterte’s partial recovery

The December 2023 survey results showed Vice President Sara Duterte partially recovering from her previous ratings slump. SWS released the survey findings on Duterte and other top Philippine officials on Thursday, April 4.

Duterte’s total net satisfaction rating rose to +61 in December 2023, from +57 in September 2023, though still lower than her +69 net satisfaction rating in June of that year, or prior to the confidential funds mess.

During the survey period, 73% of Filipinos were satisfied while 12% were dissatisfied with Duterte’s performance.

SWS said the December 2023 numbers showed that net satisfaction with Duterte’s performance was “higher in rural areas at excellent +70 than in urban areas at very good +53.”

“Compared to September 2023, both rural and urban areas had single-digit changes, with the former rising from very good +61 to excellent +70,” SWS said.

The survey results also showed Duterte earning “excellent” satisfaction ratings among the 25-to-34 age bracket and non-elementary graduates, both at +72.

Among geographical locations, net satisfaction with Duterte was highest in her bailiwick, Mindanao (+83 from +82) and remained lowest in the National Capital Region, though it increased to +46 from +39. Her net satisfaction rating also picked up in Balance Luzon, rising to +55 from +46.

The only area where she had a lower net satisfaction rating was in the Visayas falling to +60 from +67.

Other top officials

Public satisfaction with the performance of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, compared with the previous survey period, remained the same at +44.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who clashed both with the Vice President and her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, over the confidential funds issue between survey periods, saw a lower net satisfaction rating of +28, from +31 in September 2023.

The net satisfaction rating of Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo rose to +32 – his highest since his inclusion in the surveys as the country’s top magistrate.

A total of 1,200 adults participated in the nationwide survey conducted from December 8 to 11, 2023.

Key developments during this time and in the weeks leading up to the survey field work include the passage of a House resolution calling on the Marcos administration to cooperate with the International Criminal Court probe against former president Duterte’s war on drugs, the release from jail of Duterte’s top critic Leila de Lima, and the announcement by the Philippine government and communist rebels to restart peace talks, a move that Vice President Sara Duterte openly criticized.

The survey – which has a margin of error of ±2.8% for national percentages – was conducted a month before charter change efforts kicked into high gear, a move which the Duterte family spoke against.

It was also before Marcos and former president Duterte hurled drug accusations against each other, a clear indication that the relationship between the two families had taken a turn for the worse. – Rappler.com