Palace: Public interest, not high ratings, drives gov’t decisions

Metro Manila, Philippines - Malacañang has emphasized that public interest drives the decisions of the Marcos administration, adding that the “governance scorecard” should not be limited to surveys.

In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that high popularity ratings are only a “bonus” and “not the bedrock of effective public service.”

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. received a performance rating of 48% and a trust rating of 47% in November from the latest Pulse Asia survey. Both scores went down from 50% in September.

“We respect the statement that surveys are dipstick readings of the well of the public opinion. But we believe that the governance scorecard should not be confined to pollings alone,” Bersamin said on Monday, Dec. 23.

Bersamin said considering polls as a sole indicator takes the focus away “from the more important metrics, like employment, that reliably measure our progress as a nation.”

He said true leadership pursues what is right, though may not be popular, adding that Marcos’ actions have shown they have remained “focused on our critical mission of uplifting lives, growing the economy, and securing our future.”

“Public interest is the sole driver behind every executive decision, not the pursuit of high ratings in the next opinion polls,” he said.

For analysts, the most recent survey reflected the deepening row between Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte.

Duterte saw huge cuts in her performance and trust scores in the month following her controversial death threats against the First Couple and Marcos’ cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Jean Franco, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines, said the public might have been turned off with the squabble of Marcos-Duterte, a tandem that ran with a message of unity.

Dennis Coronacion, chairperson of the University of Santo Tomas’ Department of Political Science, said he was not surprised by the survey results.

Duterte is facing three impeachment complaints at the House of Representatives, most of them citing the alleged misuse of confidential funds for her office and during her stint as the secretary of the Department of Education.

“Si President Marcos, even though he remained silent about the issue with regard to the Vice President, his numbers are also affected, although maliit lang naman [it’s just a small dent],” Coronacion told NewsWatch Plus.

“Tingin ko wala masyadong kinalaman regarding [I think it’s not directly related to] the political bickering but more on his failure to address some of our economic issues, particularly, inflation, unemployment, price increase sa [on] basic commodities,” the analyst said.

Progressive groups have also underscored that the decline in ratings of both Marcos and Duterte should serve as a wake-up call to the government.

“May oil price hike na paregalo ang mga kumpanya ng langis sa bisperas ng pasko pero MIA sina Marcos Jr. o Sara Duterte dito. Busy pa sila sa pagbabangayan ng pamilya nila. Paano naman ang pamilya ng ordinaryong Pilipino?” Kabataan party-list spokesperson Renee Louise Co said. 

“Ito ang simpleng dahilan bakit nawawalan na ng tiwala ang publiko sa Uniteam. Family first kasi ang motto ng mga dinastiya na ito,” Co added.

[Translation: Oil companies are giving a Christmas gift of a price hike but Marcos and Duterte are missing in action with this. They are busy with the strife between their families. How about the ordinary Filipino family? This is why the public are losing trust with Uniteam. These dynasties have a family first motto.]

“The people are seeing through empty promises and performative governance. What we need is leadership that truly serves the masses, not one that perpetuates their exploitation,” Alliance of Concerned Teachers national chairperson Vladimir Quetua said. — with reports from Tristan Nodalo