With a year left in his six-year term, President Duterte is still popular among majority of Filipinos, Malacañang asserted Wednesday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque tried to downplay the drop in the President's survey ratings last June after his vocal critic former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV welcomed Duterte's declining popularity.
"Hindi ko maintindihan kung ano ang tinitingnan niyang survey. Kasi sa past three surveys covering a period of nine months, 90 to 91 trust at satisfaction rating ng ating Presidente sa Pulse Asia (I don't understand which survey he was looking at. Because in the past three surveys covering a period of nine months, the President obtained 90 to 91 trust and satisfactions ratings in the Pulse Asia surveys)," Roque said during a televised press briefing Wednesday, July 21.
"Sa nakalipas ng anim na buwan at itong nakalipas ng tatlong buwan, tama po bumaba pero maliit po masyado ang binaba kasi 88, 88 ang trust at satisfaction rating ng ating Pangulo (În the past six months and three months, it is correct that the ratings dropped but the dip was small because the President's trust and satisfaction ratings were both 88 percent)," he said.
Roque previously reported to the President the results of the survey on his trust and approval ratings during a meeting with other government officials. He informed the President that his survey dip was minimal.
"Ngayon po, parehong 88 'no. So within margin of error po halos hindi po bumaba ang inyong trust and satisfaction rating (Now it is both 88 percent so these are within the margin of error. Your trust and satisfaction ratings hardly dropped)," Roque told the President during the July 12 meeting.
Trillanes recently welcomed the drop in the President's ratings as "big news" in the run-up to the 2022 national and local elections. The former senator claimed that survey conducted by the Magdalo group last July showed the President's approval ratings were "down" for the fifth straight time.
“Marami na talagang namumulat. Lumalaki rin ang chance ng opposition na manalo sa 2022 (Many are waking up. The opposition’s chances to win in 2022 are getting bigger),” he said in a Facebook post.
With his six-year presidential term narrowing down, Duterte has been toying with the idea of running for vice president in next year's elections.
Duterte initially refused to consider the poll bid but recently declared he might as well run for vice president to get immunity from lawsuits. He claimed that his critics including Trillanes were threatening to sue him when he steps down from the Palace next year.