Pulse Asia: Marcos trust, approval rate down; Sara up
- In a new Pulse Asia survey conducted from March 23 to March 29, President Marcos’ approval ratings are down (42 percent in February, 25 percent in March), VP Sara Duterte’s are up (52 percent in February, 59 percent in March).
- His approval score declined most significantly in Metro Manila, where it went down by 24 points from 49 percent to 25 percent. It scored highest in Luzon outside Metro Manila at 35 percent, down by 20 points from 55 percent, followed by the Visayas at 27 percent, down by 10 points from 37 percent.
- Senate President Francis Escudero got an approval rate of 39 percent, a decrease from 47 percent in February. His trust rating also dropped from 47 percent to 38 percent.
President Marcos saw a decrease in his approval and trust ratings, according to the latest Ulat ng Bayan survey by Pulse Asia Research released Wednesday.
On the other hand, Vice President Sara Duterte’s ratings improved, the only one among the four highest-ranking national government officials to do so.
The survey, conducted from March 23 to March 29, showed that Mr. Marcos’ public approval ratings fell by 17 percentage points from 42 percent in February to 25 percent in March. His disapproval ratings went up by 21 points from 32 percent to 53 percent.
His approval score declined most significantly in Metro Manila, where it went down by 24 points from 49 percent to 25 percent. It scored highest in Luzon outside Metro Manila at 35 percent, down by 20 points from 55 percent, followed by the Visayas at 27 percent, down by 10 points from 37 percent.
Lowest in South
His approval was lowest in Mindanao, where it fell by 14 points from 19 percent to 5 percent. Among socioeconomic classes, his approval rating declined the most among Class D though it still remained the highest, from 44 percent to 26 percent. This was followed by Class ABC at 24 percent and Class E at 22 percent.
Trust for the President also decreased, down 17 points from 42 percent to 25 percent during the same period. It declined the most in Metro Manila, falling by 24 points from 51 percent to 27 percent. It was lowest in Mindanao at 4 percent, down from 17 percent.
Among classes, trust for the President was lowest in Classes ABC and E, with 24 percent each. It declined the most in Class D, falling from 44 percent to 26 percent.
Improved ratings
While the President’s numbers went down, the Vice President’s approval ratings improved from 52 percent in February to 59 percent in March. Her trust ratings also went up from 53 percent to 61 percent during the same period.
Her approval rating improved across all regions, but especially in Metro Manila, where it increased by 22 points from 33 percent to 55 percent. It remained the highest in Mindanao at 96 percent, followed by the Visayas at 68 percent. Luzon outside Metro Manila reported the lowest approval rating at 39 percent, up 5 points from 34 percent.
Among socioeconomic classes, her approval improved the most and remained the highest among Class E, from 61 percent to 74 percent, followed by Class ABC, from 49 percent to 60 percent, and Class D from 51 percent to 58 percent.
Her trust rating improved the most in Metro Manila, up by 23 points from 33 percent to 56 percent. It remained highest in Mindanao at 97 percent. Among classes, Class E reported the most trust at 75 percent, while Class ABC had the most improved, up by 14 points from 50 percent to 64 percent.
“This is troubling news for any administration and encouraging for any alienated [vice president],” said Inquirer columnist and political analyst Manuel L. Quezon III.
‘Clincher’
Marcos and Duterte were running mates in the 2022 national elections. Their “UniTeam” showed a major crack in June 2024 when Duterte resigned as education secretary. She has been investigated for alleged misuse of confidential funds, one of the grounds of an impeachment complaint against her.
Her father, the former president, was ordered arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on March 11. The Pulse Asia survey was conducted almost two weeks later. The Vice President was then in The Hague, the Netherlands, where numerous protest actions by their die-hard supporters were held.
Quezon, however, said the “clincher is the senatorial midterm” more than the President and Vice President’s ratings.
“A close look at survey numbers suggests resilience in the [administration] and not as much of a boost to Veep-aligned as might be assumed,” Quezon said in a text message to the Inquirer.
“Marcos electoral strategy has always emphasized machinery over popularity and popularity without machinery is corresponding weakness for opponents,” he added.
Major factors
For University of the Philippines political science professor Jean Franco, disinformation and the ICC arrest were huge factors.
“Fake news and Duterte arrest,” Franco told the Inquirer when asked to comment on the survey.
Meanwhile, the Vice President will address the survey results after Holy Week, her office said.
For other top officials, Senate President Francis Escudero got an approval rate of 39 percent, a decrease from 47 percent in February. His trust rating also dropped from 47 percent to 38 percent.
Speaker Martin Romualdez’s approval rating dropped slightly from 17 percent to 14 percent, while his trust rating fell from 18 percent to 14 percent.
Urgent concerns
The survey also revealed that controlling inflation remained the top issue for 69 percent of Filipinos.
Other pressing national issues include increasing the pay of workers (36 percent), fighting graft and corruption in government (28 percent), fighting criminality (28 percent), and reducing poverty (27 percent).
The survey used face-to-face interviews with 2,400 adult respondents selected through multistage probability sampling. —WITH A REPORT FROM DEMPSEY REYES
Source: Pulse Asia Research, Inquirer Archives
