Duterte’s approval, trust ratings suffer double-digit decline in September

Both the approval and trust ratings of President Rodrigo Duterte registered a double-digit decline in September, as inflation accelerated to nine-year highs the month prior.

According to the results of the September 1 to 7 poll of Pulse Asia Research Inc, Duterte's approval rating dropped to 75 in September from the 88 in June.

"At the national level, President Duterte experienced a decline in his approval ratings and a rise in indecision during the period June to September 2018," Pulse Asia said.

"The President's overall disapproval score also goes up during this period. Across geographic areas and socioeconomic classes, appreciation for presidential performance eases in the rest of Luzon and Class D," it elaborated.

In terms of trust, Duterte's rating fell by 15 percentage points to 72 from the 87 registered in June 2018, while Robredo's trust rating was unchanged at 56.

"Trust in the President becomes less pronounced not only at the national level but in basically all geographic areas and socioeconomic groupings. The exceptions are Mindanao and Class ABC," said Pulse Asia.

During the period, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported August inflation at 6.4 percent, the fastest in over nine years since it came in at 6.6 percent in March 2009.

A second complaint filed by activists and families of eight victims of the government's war on drugs were also filed before the International Criminal Court, accusing him of murder and crimes against humanity.

The complaint was belittled by Malacañang.

Sought for comment, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte's survey numbers remained "very good."

"The President rules because it is his constitutional duty. He doesn’t rule for survey results. Maraming beses na po niyang sinabi iyan," Roque said at a news conference.

"We take note of the survey results but we are not affected by it because ang Presidente naman will do his best to discharge his duties as President and commander-in-chief," Roque said.

Robredo, Sotto, Arroyo, Carpio

Vice President Leni Robredo likewise saw a slight drop in her approval rating which fell by 1 percentage point to 61 from 62 in the previous survey.

Meanwhile, the approval rating of Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III was reported at 73 and that of Acting Supreme Court Chief Justice Antonio Carpio at 42. There were no comparative figures for both officials.

"Approval is the prevailing sentiment about the work done by the Supreme Court (52 percent), the House of Representatives (56 percent), and the Senate (63 percent)," the Pulse Asia said.

"Meanwhile, Vice President Robredo enjoys gains in public trust in the Visayas and Class E," it said.

Sotto, who was installed as the Senate President in May, saw a trust rating of 66.

Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, elected as House Speaker in July, had a trust rating of 19.

For his part, Carpio had a trust rating of 33 during the period.

The survey was based on a multistage probability sample of 1,800 registered voters 18 years old and above, with a ± 2% error margin at the 95 percent confidence level. — with Virgil Lopez/MDM/RSJ, GMA News