Duterte’s high rating attributed to his political will, Palace says

January 12, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte's political will to defeat terrorists in Mindanao and other positive developments on the economy have pushed his net trust rating to "excellent," his spokesman said on Friday.

The Fourth Quarter 2017 Social Weather Stations survey, conducted from Dec. 8-16, 2017, showed 83 percent of adult Filipinos with much trust, 10 percent undecided, and 7 percent with little trust in the President.

This is equivalent to a net trust rating of +75, which the SWS classified as "excellent."

"I think the fact that he has shown that he can exercise political will to defeat terrorists and violent extremist in Marawi; the fact that people’s optimism is at all-time high; the fact that manufacturing output is at all-time high. So all this indicate that the economy is growing as his promised," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing in Bukidnon when asked where to attribute Duterte's high rating.

He said Duterte has "promoted the rule of law against the threat of terrorism. And of course, he is winning the war against drugs."

Duterte's net trust rating in December was up by one grade from the "very high +60" in September last year, and a rebound after the 15-point decline from +75 in June 2017, SWS said.

"While we are elated with the survey results, we leave no room for complacency ‘no. We therefore assure that everyone, that the chief executive together with his team will remain undistracted in improving the lives of the poor and marginalized, fighting criminality and enforcing the law and curbing graft and corruption in government," Roque said. Celerina Monte/DMS