Duterte on sharp ratings drop: It does not really matter to me

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte was unfazed by the significant drop in his quarterly satisfaction ratings in the latest Social Weather Stations survey.

According to SWS, the president's net satisfaction score suffered from an 18-point decline for the third quarter—the largest fall since he became president in June 2016. The biggest declines came among the very poor and those living in urban areas.

READ: Duterte sees 18-point drop in satisfaction rating

Reacting to the survey results, Duterte, in an interview with state-run PTV on Friday, dismissed the downgrade in his ratings and said that he was just doing what he promised during the campaign period.

“It does not really matter to me. Kasi ‘yung lahat na ginagawa ko, those were exactly the words that I used during the campaign,” Duterte said.

“I am not hungry for statistics. Tapos na po ‘yan. ‘Yung 16 million [votes] po, ‘yun na ‘yung statistics ko,” he added.

The firebrand leader then said it is no longer his problem if people are starting to spurn his words.

“‘Yung ratings, maski mag-abot ako ng zero. Wala ‘yun… May trabaho ako,” he said.

“Ngayon, dumating ang panahon na hindi niyo kayang lunukin ‘yung sinabi ko. Problema ninyo ‘yan, hindi ko problema ‘yan,” he added.

According to SWS president Mahar Mangahas, the sharp drop in Duterte's ratings—which was “faster than average” against his predecessors—would have been due to the rising number of alleged extrajudicial deaths in the country.

But Mangahas clarified that the spate of killings brought about by Duterte's campaign against illegal drugs were not the sole factor of the dip in his ratings.

READ: SWS president: Duterte ratings dip normal but faster than average

Meanwhile, the results of the latest SWS survey on the president’s ratings were a stark contrast to the fresh poll conducted by Pulse Asia, which found 80 percent of respondents having big trust and approval of Duterte.

Among the news items when both Pulse Asia and SWS conducted their surveys were the death of minors in the hands of Caloocan City cops that triggered public anger, as well as the latest claims of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV regarding Duterte’s alleged questionable wealth.

READ: Pulse Asia: Duterte retains 'big majority' approval, trust ratings

Duterte—who easily won the race to Malacañang last year on a promise to use deadly force to wipe out crime and drugs—has stoked international alarm for activating his fierce anti-drug campaign.

Police data show 3,850 have "died in police operations," suggesting these are drug suspects who engaged arresting officers in shootouts. Meanwhile, there are 2,290 "deaths under investigation," which have already been determined to be "drug-related."

Filipinos have mostly backed Duterte’s drug war even as critics condemned the spate of killings. But the recent deaths of three teenagers in the country’s capital highlighted concerns about alleged police abuse.