Duterte shrugs off survey results

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has shrugged off the big drop in his trust and satisfaction ratings in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

“It does not really matter to me,” he said in an interview aired over state-run PTV-4 on Friday night.

“I am not hungry for statistics. Tapos na po iyan. Iyong 16 million po, iyon na iyong statistics ko (what is done is done. The 16 million, that is my statistics),” he said, referring to the number of votes he garnered in the 2016 elections.

“Ngayon, dumating ang panahon na hindi ninyo kayang lunukin iyong sinabi ko, problema ninyo iyan, hindi ko problema iyan (Now that the time has come that you cannot take what I said, that is your problem, that is not my problem),” he added.

What hurts him most, the President admitted, is the criticisms he gets from human rights activists from the European Union (EU).

“Nasaktan lang ako hindi dito sa satisfaction-satisfaction, for all I care. Itong mga taga-Europe, mga human rights kuno, pumunta dito, started condemning and started to count iyong namatay lang na sabi nilang EJK (I am hurt not by the satisfaction rating, for all I care. This people from Europe, human rights advocates, they went here, started condemning and started to count those who died because of what they say was extrajudicial killing),” he said.

Duterte also said that he is loyal to the country, not to his political party, and he applies the same principle he got from the late president Manuel Quezon to his war against drugs.

“Ibahin ko lang ho (I just changed it a bit). The human rights of the criminals end where the survival of my country begins. Simple as that,” he said.

“Iyong ratings, maski mag-abot ako ng zero, wala iyon, may trabaho ako… Ganoon pa rin, mag-trabaho ako kasi pinangako ko. Hindi ako iyong sabihin mo na ‘pag maging unpopular ako – wala iyan. Kalokohan iyan (Ratings, even if it dropped to zero, that is nothing, I have a job to do…Nothing changes, I am still working because I promised. Even if you say I became unpopular – it’s nothing. That is foolishness),” he added.

The President vowed that he would be man enough to stand up for his convictions and his campaign promises, including a drug-free Philippines and improved peace and order situation in the country to make it more open to development and to make life comfortable for the Filipino people.

“Kasi iyong lahat na ginagawa ko (What I am doing), those were exactly the words that I used during the campaign. And you know, I have to honor but I promised because that is my covenant with the people,” he said.

Just do your job

Lawmakers also urged Duterte to ignore surveys and to just focus on doing his job.

“Malacañang should not allow itself to be held hostage by surveys. In the first place, the presidency is not a popularity contest,” Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said.

Government officials should concentrate on doing their job “whether they are popular or unpopular. What is important is that they continuously discharge their duties and functions for the interest of the people,” he added.

Evardone was commenting on the newest surveys showing the approval ratings of the President and other high-ranking officials have fallen.

Rep. Tom Villarin of Akbayan commented on Vice President Leni Robredo’s survey showing an improvement in her trust and satisfaction ratings.

He said Robredo “is doing the right move by addressing poverty, which is the main problem our country is facing.” 

“Her grassroots work with impoverished communities is her natural strength, but she also strongly provides critical insights on national issues that show leadership. People also tend to look up to the VP when the President falters, hewing to a constitutional succession scenario,” he added.

As for the decline in popularity and trust ratings of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez especially in Mindanao, Villarin said it was “a rejection of his policy push in Congress that doesn’t sit well with Mindanaoans, including martial law, impeachment and local dynamics with Duterte’s allies.”

By “local dynamics with Duterte’s allies,” he was apparently referring to the bitter feud between the Speaker and his erstwhile close friend, Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr.

A spat between the two congressmen’s girlfriends reportedly triggered their feud. 

Alvarez represents Davao del Norte’s first district, while Floirendo is representative of the second district. The two are both close allies of the President. Floirendo was his biggest campaign contributor.