Ratings up because Duterte delivers: Nograles

December 22, 2019

Approval ratings of the government’s top officials, including President Rodrigo Duterte, have risen significantly because main concerns of people --better wages, the prices of basic goods, and jobs––are being addressed.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Sunday said the nine percentage point rise Duterte's approval ratings validate government figures that reflect positive impact of government programs aimed at improving salaries, reining in inflation, and generating jobs.

“Historically, surveys––including the one conducted right before the SONA (State of the Nation Address) in June––consistently show that the top concerns of our people are higher wages, the prices of basic commodities, and jobs,” said the Palace official.

“In connection with this, recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) show that the Duterte Administration has made significant progress in these three areas,” said Nograles.

“The President’s approval ratings help validate these numbers, and tell us that the people are feeling the positive effects of government programs and projects,” said Nograles.

Earlier this month, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) issued its preliminary report on the country's poverty statistics.  PSA data revealed that mean salaries and wages for the population went up by 22.8 percent to 156,114 pesos in 2018 from 127,122 pesos in 2015. 

“For those in the lower 30 percent of the population, on the other hand, mean per capita income increased by 31.87 percent. This is an indicator that government programs targeting the poor are hitting their mark,” said Nograles.

“As for prices, inflation in November was at 1.3 percent––and our economic managers expect them to remain within the target of 2 two to 4 percent,” added the cabinet official.

Nograles said NEDA Director General Ernesto Pernia recently reported that  unemployment and underemployment figures are at their lowest in 14 years, with unemployment at 5.1 percent and underemployment at 14 percent.

“We have 1.3 million new jobs and 2.3 million fewer unemployed Filipinos. This means we are also on track to keep unemployment within the 4.7 percent to 5.3 percent range, consistent with the 2017-2022 Philippine Development Plan,” Nograles said.

“Now, close to nine out of ten of those surveyed say they are happy with the performance of the administration, because they know this firsthand: Duterte delivers,” added Nograles.

Nograles said while approval ratings are welcome news, “at the end of the day, the numbers that matter to the President are the figures that show that our countrymen are employed, are paid well, and can afford their basic neccessities.”

The latest Pulse Asia survey conducted from December 3 to 8 show top administration officials all enjoying significant jumps in their approval ratings.

Duterte has the highest approval ratings, with 87 percent of those polled saying they approve of his performance. He is followed by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, with approval rating of 84 percent and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, at 80 percent. 

Duterte’s approval ratings are up by nine percentage points compared to his numbers September this year.

His approval ratings in the E class remained steady at 84 percent, while they jumped 10 percentage points in the D class and 14 percentage points in the ABC class. DMS