(Eagle News) — Eight in ten Filipinos appreciate the performance and trust President Rodrigo Duterte.
This is according to a Pulse Asia survey conducted via face-to-face interviews from March 15 to 20.
The survey has a sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years old and above, and a ± 3 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.
Relevant events before and during the conduct of the survey include the the filing of the first impeachment complaint against Duterte in the House of Representatives, the release of a video of Vice President Leni Robredo criticizing his war against drugs, the arrest of Senator Leila de Lima over drug charges, and the Senate testimony of Arturo Lascanas on the alleged Davao Death Squad.
According to Pulse Asia, of the total respondents, 78 percent approved of Duterte’s performance, while 76 percent trust him.
The President continued to receive the highest trust rating in Mindanao (90 percent), followed by Visayas (84 percent).
He also saw an increase in his trust rating among socioeconomic classes A, B and C (84 percent).
This figure represents a 12-point increase from his 72-percent rating in a Pulse Asia survey released in December last year.
“The people continue to embrace the President’s vision of a nation that works for the prosperity of all; a trustworthy government; and lasting peace, considering that the survey coincided with vicious noise from the President’s fiercest critics…,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.
He said the “seemingly orchestrated events from parties threatened by the housecleaning efforts of the current administration have not dampened the sentiments of the common people, and those unheard and underserved by past administrations.”
“The continued high approval of (Duterte) et al, as validated by the latest survey results, proves that the majority appreciate the decisiveness of President Duterte, and that the attacks of opportunists like (Senator Antonio) Trillanes and his ilk are baseless and malicious,” he added.