Quezon City, Pasig, Manila mayors get high approval ratings

MANILA, Philippines — The mayors of Quezon City, Pasig and Manila have received the highest approval rating among local chief executives in Metro Manila for their overall performance this year, a recent survey of the RP-Mission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMDinc) showed.

The survey, conducted from Dec. 5 to 15 with the results released this week, showed Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte with the highest approval rating of 85 percent, followed by Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto (82 percent) and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno (77 percent).

Rounding up the top five were Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian (75 percent) and Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro (72 percent).

The survey had a total of 3,500 respondents, divided proportionally per local government unit based on official population data. It had an error margin of +/- three percent.

Paul Martinez of RPMDinc noted that many of the local chief executives saw improvements in their approval ratings compared to a survey conducted in June, which looked into their performance in responding to the coronavirus disease pandemic.

“Constituents tend to use their rating of the city mayor as a repository for their feelings about what is going on in the city in general, and those feelings are subject to change,” he said.

“In Metro Manila, constituents are comfortable about changing the ratings they give to the mayor on a short-term basis. Mayors should always think that they are evaluated daily, weekly and monthly,” he added.

The June survey saw Sotto with the highest approval rating in terms of pandemic response with 86 percent, followed by Belmonte with 80 percent and Moreno with 78 percent.

In the latest poll, the survey firm also asked the respondents how likely are they to vote again for the mayor in the next elections, with Martinez saying those who received positive assessments also received strong support in their re-election bids.

Seventy-seven percent said they will vote again for Sotto, while Belmonte and Moreno received 75 percent and 72 percent, respectively.

Gatchalian, who is on his last term, received 70 percent support from the respondents should he decide to run for another post.