Marcos, Duterte trust ratings decline further in January – survey

Metro Manila, Philippines – Filipinos were less trusting again of the country’s top two leaders amid economic issues facing households, according to a latest commissioned survey.

Conducted in partnership with Stratbase Group on Jan. 17-20, the Social Weather Stations survey showed trust ratings of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte were lower by four and three percentage points, respectively.

Half of Filipinos, though, still expressed confidence in the two leaders.

The trust score of Marcos dipped from 54 percent in December to 50 percent, with the biggest number from Balance Luzon at 60 percent, though this was six points lower from the previous month. His scores have been on the decline since July at 64 percent and September 57 at percent.

On the other hand, distrust in the president was highest in Mindanao, where 36% of respondents said they had “little trust” in him.

"With the cost of essential goods continuing to rise, many Filipinos feel the administration's efforts to ease the burden have been slow and insufficient.

“To restore public confidence, the Marcos administration must double down on its responses by implementing long-term solutions to stabilize inflation and support struggling Filipino households," said Stratbase Institute President Victor Manhit.

Meanwhile, Duterte’s trust rating declined from 52 percent in December to 49 percent. Her numbers have also been on a downtrend since July at 65 percent and September at 55 percent

Her major support is still Mindanao, where 78 percent expressed confidence in her, though this was five percentage points lower from the previous month.

The highest level of distrust for the vice president was in Balance Luzon, where 41 percent said they had little trust in her.

“Duterte's satisfaction rating continues to drop significantly due to her continued reluctance to explain her spending on the allocation of confidential and intelligence funds. At a time when many are struggling with the high cost of basic necessities, the public needs reassurance - now more than ever - that taxpayers’ money is being spent properly to benefit the Filipino people.

“The vice president’s refusal to address questions regarding her spending of public funds is understandably eroding her public trust rating," Manhit said.

The survey polled 1,800 respondents. It had a ±2% margin of error.