PRRD most trusted among top officials in Dec. poll

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte administers the oath to the new Career Executive Service Officers (CESOs) during a ceremony at the Rizal Hall of Malacañan Palace on September 27, 2018. TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte enjoys the highest trust and approval ratings among the country’s top four officials, a Pulse Asia survey conducted last December showed.

“Most Filipinos (81 percent) express appreciation for the performance of President Rodrigo R. Duterte,” the Pulse Asia survey said.

The President’s approval ratings climbed to 81 percent from 75 percent in the same survey conducted in September.

Duterte’s trust rating was also higher at 76 percent in December from 72 percent in September.

Vice President Leni Robredo’s approval and trust ratings remain virtually unchanged at 62 percent and 56 percent, respectively.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III sustained his approval rating at 74 percent in December from 73 percent in September while his trust rating is the same at 66 percent in both surveys.

House of Representatives Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo scored a 27 percent approval rating and higher 21 percent trust rating from 19 percent in September. Arroyo was not included in the September approval survey as she had been in office for less than three months during the time it was conducted.

The survey was conducted on December 14-21 with 1,800 respondents and a margin of error of +/-2.3 percent.

Some of the prominent issues in the weeks prior to the conduct of the survey were the conviction of three police officers involved in the Kian delos Santos slay, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit in the country, the naming of the third telco player, appointment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin, the arrest of former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and 17 others in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, the budget debate in Congress, the proposal to abolish the Road Board, and the House’s passage of a federal form of government.