The Malacañang has said it is “unfazed” after a survey recorded a double-digit drop in the trust and approval ratings of President Duterte.
Speaking today (Tuesday, September 25) a presidential spokesman said that the “single” issue on rice may have pulled down the chief executive’s numbers.
The Pulse Asia survey conducted last September 1-7 showed 75 per cent of Filipinos approved of the president’s performance, 13 points lower than June’s score of 88.
The same trend can be seen in the president’s trust rating which dropped to 72 per cent from the previous 87.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the ratings, while suffering from double-digit drops, were still high when compared to other government officials.
“The president rules because it is his constitutional duty. He doesn’t rule for survey results. He has said it so many times. So we take note of the survey results but we are not affected by it because the president will do his best to discharge his duties as President and Commander in Chief,” he said in a palace press briefing.
As he shrugged off the drop in the president’s ratings, Roque also hit National Food Authority administrator Jason Aquino for supposedly mismanaging the affairs of the state grains agency.
He said the rice supply problem put the president’s administration in a bad light and could be the reason for the drop in the ratings.
“Why do I say these things about Jason? The single issue on rice has eclipsed the other achievements of the administration because this is a gut issue,” he said. “We cannot control the rise of oil prices, but the rice supply problem could have been avoided.”
Roque has also said he would file charges against Aquino if no one else would in relation to the NFA’s use of a 5.1 billion peso government subsidy to cover maturing loans instead of allocating the funds for the food security.
“He made a mess out of the rice market, he contributed to the problem of inflation. He should be held liable. If no one else files, I will,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter who he is. The fact is he played around with the commodity that is closest to our stomach. You don’t do that and he made such a big problem for the president.”
As we reported earlier this month, a survey of “public trust” in the president fell to a record low, although he still maintained a rating of “very good”.
Trust is used by independent polling company Social Weather Stations to gauge the public’s opinion of the president’s personality and performance.
In its latest survey trust in the president fell eight points in the second quarter from +65 to +57. It was the leader’s lowest score in nine quarterly surveys taken since he took office in June 2016.
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