Philippine senators say Duterte ratings drop a wake-up call for government

MANILA — A number of senators in the Philippines have agreed that the two-digit drop in the satisfaction and trust ratings of President Rodrigo Duterte is a wake up call for the government to seriously address the issues on corruption, poverty, and police impunity.

According to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey on 1,500 adult respondents from Sept 23 to 27, the president’s net satisfaction rating dropped 18 per cent from a “very good” 66 percent in June to a “good” 48 percent.The survey also showed that Mr Duterte’s trust rating suffered a 15 per cent dip from an “excellent” +75 in June to a “very good” + 60.

In light of the survey results, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said on Monday (Oct 9) that the executive branch should not become complacent.

“I encourage the president and his administration to view these survey results as a constructive challenge to do more for the Filipino people,” he noted.

“Corruption, poverty, and police impunity are three important issues in particular which deserve more attention from the executive branch.”

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon observed that the government “must better take a second look at their policies and the way they enforce their policies”. Similarly, Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino noted that “the drop in President Duterte’s approval and trust ratings should serve as wake-up call for the Philippine National Police to rethink its strategy for the drug war and address the killings in our communities”.

Despite the drop in the president’s ratings, South-east Asia expert Malcolm Cook said that “the poll numbers for Mr Duterte over the first 16 months of his term are very similar to those for his predecessors”.

“Filipino voters seem to give their presidents the benefit of the doubt for the first year and then become more critical. This is what we are seeing with President Duterte, added Dr Cook, a senior fellow at Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute.

He added it was still too early to say whether the tide had turned against Mr Duterte, and that the Philippine system of a single-term presidency made opinion polls less politically significant. The president's satisfaction rating is still classified as “good” by SWS, while his trust rating is considered "very good".

"If, like with Presidents Ramos and Estrada, Duterte's support numbers continue to fall then he and his backers could be in trouble in the 2019 mid-term elections," Dr Cook observed. "Duterte cannot run for re-election and impeachment is very unlikely."

Mr Duterte's spokesman, Mr Ernesto Abella, wasn't able to respond to a request for comment.

The death of a 17-year-old student in August stirred public anger after security-camera footage showed what appeared to be images of police dragging the student minutes before he was shot and killed. Mr Duterte has vowed justice for the student, reminding police to follow rules of engagement and not to kill unlawfully.

Human-rights groups have also routinely accused Duterte's administration of condoning extra-judicial killings in its quest to crack down on illegal drugs. The government says about 3,800 people have died at the hands of police in the drugs war, while Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International say the number is more than 7,000.

Mr Duterte's son has denied involvement in drug smuggling as part of a Senate probe. Mr Duterte himself is under investigation over allegations that he has hidden wealth – accusations he has dismissed. AGENCIES