MANILA, Philippines — For the first time since Vice President Leni Robredo took office in June 2016, a speaker of the House of Representatives
obtained higher approval and trust ratings than her.
The latest Pulse Asia survey showed that Vice President Leni Robredo scored 50% approval and 46% trust while House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano (Taguig) got 64% approval and 62% trust ratings.
When former Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Pampanga) was speaker of the House, she scored 26% approval in June 2019 and 27% in December. In the same time period, Robredo then scored 46% and 55%, respectively, which were higher than the ratings of Arroyo.
Previous Pulse Asia surveys also found Robredo had higher trust and approval ratings than Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez (Davao del Norte) when he was speaker.
In June 2018, for example, Alvarez scored 47% approval and 45% trust scores while Robredo enjoyed
62% approval and 56% trust ratings.
Despite the drop in survey ratings, Robredo's office said this would serve as a challenge for the vice president to redouble its efforts in serving the Filipino people.
"We are likewise grateful that the VP continues to enjoy significant support from our fellow Filipinos. This support will further strengthen her commitment to stay true to her Constitutional mandate, uphold our nation's interests, and work to uplift the lives of our people, especially the poor and marginalized," Robredo's spokesperson Barry Gutierrez said.
President Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile, remains the most trusted top government official with 74% while Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III
obtained 66% trust.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin registered the lowest trust rating with 34%.
Duterte also recorded the highest approval rating with 78% while Sotto scored 72% and Bersamin got 42%.
The latest Pulse Asia survey was conducted from September 16 to 22 using face-to-face interviews among 1,200 adult respondents nationwide. The survey
results have a ± 2.8% error margin at the 95% confidence level. — Patricia Lourdes Viray