MANILA (Reuters) – Three-quarters of Filipinos were satisfied with President Rodrigo Duterte’s performance in June but his popularity rating was 21 percent below a record high reached in November 2020, according to a survey published on Friday.
Duterte received an overall “very good” net satisfaction rating of +62 in June, down from +65 in May and November’s “excellent” level of +79, according to a poll by Social Weather Stations (SWS) published on its website on Friday.
The poll, conducted from June 23-26, found that 75% of Filipinos were satisfied, 12% undecided, and 13% dissatisfied with Duterte’s performance.
While his opponents accuse him of being too authoritarian and intolerant of dissent, Duterte remains hugely popular because of his man-of-the-people style and a perception of strong leadership and success in fighting crime and corruption.
SWS attributed Duterte’s high rating to public satisfaction with the government’s overall “governance” and “perceived decisiveness and diligence” despite a stubborn coronavirus crisis that has ravaged the economy and caused millions of job losses.
The Philippines ranks second in Southeast Asia with the most number of COVID-19 cases at more than 2.4 million and more than 37,000 deaths.
The survey was conducted in the form of in-person interviews with 1,200 Filipinos, SWS said.
Presidents serve for only one term in the Philippines, but Duterte, 76, said this month he will run https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-duterte-accepts-2022-vice-presidential-nomination-2021-09-08 for vice president in next year’s polls, forging ahead with a plan criticised by rivals as a cynical move to maintain his political power.
(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
