Palace: Duterte vindicated after good satisfaction rating

MANILA, Philippines —  While the ratings dipped, Malacañang feels vindicated with President Duterte’s “very good” satisfaction rating in the Social Weather Stations (SWS)’s first quarter survey for this year.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the latest ratings are a welcome development after the controversy caused by the Chief Executive’s tirades against the International Criminal Court.

“Public confidence, as we can see, has remained high notwithstanding matters and concerns the government is handling. We are thus grateful for our people’s vote of confidence,” Roque said.

According to him, the latest results would further inspire the President, along with the members of his Cabinet, to “work double time in bringing the fruits of sustained and inclusive growth to the poorest and marginalized sectors.”

He added that the administration would continue its mandate to ensure that communities remain safe and secure from drugs, crime and terrorism.

Roque said Malacañang is pleased with the latest SWS survey that showed Duterte getting a “very good” net satisfaction rating of +56, which is slightly lower than his +58 rating in December.

The President’s rating stayed “very good” in Classes A, B, C and D and “good” in Class E. In addition, respondents in all educational levels rated the Chief Executive “very good,” he pointed out.

Duterte kept a “very good” net satisfaction rating despite a two-point drop in the first quarter of 2018, according to the SWS survey results released Wednesday.

Seventy percent of adult Filipinos are satisfied with Duterte’s performance, lower by one point from his December 2017 gross satisfaction rating of 71 percent, the survey revealed.