By Brian Jules Campued
Despite mixed results for the performance rating of the top five officials of the government, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. maintained a stable rating, while Vice President Sara Duterte’s rating experienced a significant decline — the latest nationwide survey by PUBLiCUS Asia revealed.
Based on the results of the PAHAYAG Second Quarter 2024 survey conducted from June 15 to 19, the overall performance rating of the Marcos administration held steady at 51%.
President Marcos received an approval rating of 44% and a trust rating of 33%. However, his approval rating saw a three-point drop across North Central Luzon (NCL) – considered to be the Marcos family’s political stronghold – down to 49% from 52% in the first quarter.
Vice President Duterte’s ratings, on the other hand, saw a sharp decline — with her approval rating falling to 46% from 53% and her trust rating also dropping to 41% to 46%. Even in Mindanao, her approval and trust ratings went down to 68% and 65%, respectively.
“Despite the drop, the VP remains the official with highest approval and trust ratings. It should be noted that the resignation of the VP as DepEd secretary took place at the end of the survey period and hence not included in the results,” PUBLiCUS Asia said.
Duterte stepped down from her Cabinet post last June 19, her resignation would take effect on July 19, days before the resumption of classes for School Year 2024-2025. Meanwhile, Marcos has yet to name Duterte’s replacement as her position is equally important and difficult.
“We have to choose somebody who has an understanding of what is important in terms of being an educator. But then we also have to find the same person who has to have those qualities that can galvanize this very, very large bureaucracy which is the DepEd and to achieve all of those gains or all of those changes to make the educational standard better,” the President said in a media interview over the weekend.
The leaders of the legislative branch, on other hand, experienced contradicting results: Senate President Francis Escudero’s approval rating dropped from 58% to 47%, and his trust rating fell from 45% to 37%; while Speaker Martin Romualdez’s approval rating rose to 27% from 25%, and his trust rating grew to 19% from 18%.
According to PUBLiCUS Asia, the decline in Escudero’s overall ratings “is attributed to his association with the Marcos administration” following his election as senate president last May.
Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo also showed stability in his ratings, with his approval rating remaining at 29% and “his trust rating increasing from 20% to 21%”.
Meanwhile, among the government agencies, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) topped the list with approval and trust rating of 72% and 58%, respectively. Other agencies the pollster mentioned are the following:
- Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) – 67% approval rating, 54% trust rating
- Department of Science and Technology (DOST) – 64% approval rating, 47% trust rating
- Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) – 61% approval rating, 49% trust rating
- Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) – 60% approval rating, 45% trust rating
- Commission on Higher Education (CHED) – 59% approval rating, 48% trust rating
- Civil Service Commission (CSC) – 58% approval rating, 43% trust rating
- Department of Education (DepEd) – 58% approval rating, 49% trust rating
- Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) – 56% approval rating, 44% trust rating
- Department of Health (DOH) – 55% approval rating, 43% trust rating
The independent and non-commissioned survey, was carried out using purposive sampling from a panel of over 200,000 registered Filipino voters maintained by US-based firm PureSpectrum’s Singapore office. A total of 1,507 respondents were randomly drawn from the said research panel. – avds
