Duterte says service more important than survey numbers

October 15, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte said statistics from survey firms doesn’t matter to him.

“It does not really matter to me because all these things that I’m doing. Those were exactly the words that I used during the campaign,” Duterte said in an interview with government station PTV-4 last Friday.

“I have to honor what I promised because that is my covenant with the people,” he added.

The statement came after his satisfaction ratings dropped by 18 percentage points according to the survey  by Social Weather Stations recently. Duterte's trust and approval ratings also declined by two percentage points in a Pulse Asia survey Friday but it remained at 80 percent.

“I am not hungry for statistics. That’s already done. The 16 million, that’s my statistics,” he said.

Duterte also apologized to those people who are not satisfied with his words and actions as he was just doing what he promised during the campaign.

“I said I don’t like drugs, I really don’t like drugs. And I’m saying those people who will ruin my country, I will really kill you. And if you will ruin our children, I said on my campaign and I’m really doing, I’m really going to kill you… That’s what I said. If you don’t like it before or now or just now what I’m doing, I’m sorry,” he explained.

Even if his ratings fall to zero, Duterte said he will not stop working. Even if he will be jailed or killed because of what he did, Duterte said he will be happy because he is able to accomplish what he promised.

“Even if I’m jailed or killed because of it, I’m sorry because I’ll be happy because I did everything that I promised for the Philippines. That is my personal satisfaction,” he said.

According to the president, what hurt him are statements from human rights groups saying all those killed by his administration are extra-judicial killings or state-sponsored killings.

“Those who came from Europe, so called human rights. They will come here, started condemning and started to count  people that were killed and labeled as (EJK),” he said.

Duterte added claims of human rights about killings are “cheapening the lives of my soldiers and the dedicated policemen.”

Duterte's fall in his latest SWS ratings is believed to be caused an incident of the killing of a teenager allegedly members of the Philippine National Police in an anti-drug operation.  Ella Dionisio/DMS