Duterte on net satisfaction rating: ‘I don’t care, make it 15’

“I don’t care, make it 15. It does not interest me at all,” Duterte said in a media interview after delivering his speech on Tuesday at the National MSME Summit 2018 at the ASEAN Convention Center in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga. (Richard Madelo/Presidential Photo)

MANILA – A latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey which showed President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s net satisfaction rating dropping at 45 percent has failed to rattle the country’s first leader from Mindanao.

“I don’t care, make it 15. It does not interest me at all,” Duterte said in a media interview after delivering his speech on Tuesday at the National MSME Summit 2018 at the ASEAN Convention Center in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.

According to the SWS survey, the net satisfaction rating of +45 remains “good” despite an 11-point drop as compared to first quarter survey result.

It added 65 percent of Filipinos were satisfied with Duterte’s work as leader of the country while 20 percent disagreed and 15 percent still undecided.

“I’m just travelling along the coast. And with a new suggestion, since I am not popular anymore, Congress might decide to get a popular one. You want a popular President, fine good,” Duterte said.

Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte’s +45 rating remained the highest compared to his last three predecessors.

Roque was referring to former president Joseph Estrada whose rating plummeted to +5 on his second year in office while former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s rating also dropped to +6 in 2002 and ex-president Benigno Aquino III’s rating to +42 in May 2012.

“The survey evidently showed that – despite several challenges surrounding his presidency at the time the survey was conducted – PRRD still enjoyed the confidence of the majority of Filipinos,” Roque said.

Duterte received “good” net satisfaction ratings in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, and the Visayas and “excellent” net satisfaction rating in home region of Mindanao.

“It is worth mentioning that the survey was conducted from June 27-30 of this year which marked the end of the President’s second year in office,” Roque said.

Regardless of numbers, Roque assured every Filipino that the President and his administration would continue to work double-time “in bringing the fruits of a better and more inclusive economy and in strengthening the government’s drive against illegal drugs, crime and corruption.”

During the MSME Summit, Duterte renewed his commitment to fight corruption even down to the local government units (LGUs) level.

He said his campaign against corruption “does not exclude” the LGUs particularly those who are making life difficult for businessmen applying for local permits.

Duterte said corruption is of the many faults that pull the country down.

“It’s one thing that is pulling us down safe from the outside extraneous forces of government operations,” he said.

“So in time, I will try to maybe just reduce it to the barest minimum if I cannot totally eradicate it. It is will be an impossible dream to do that considering the extent of government. It’s all over the island with so many offices. We cannot just control everything,” Duterte said.

He said every Filipino people can help government in combating corruption by being assertive against corrupt government officials particularly from the Bureau Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs.