President Marcos and VP Duterte Face Double-Digit Drops in Satisfaction Levels

Despite maintaining the support of a majority, President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte experienced a significant decline in satisfaction levels, as revealed in multiple polls conducted last year.

One year into their administration, which secured a landslide victory in the 2022 elections, Filipinos expressed widespread dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of the escalating costs of essential goods.

According to the quarterly “Tugon ng Masa” survey by OCTA Research, Marcos’ performance rating dropped by 13 points over the span of one year, decreasing from 78 percent in October 2022 to 65 percent in October 2023. Notably, Marcos’ approval fluctuated, starting at 80 percent in March, peaking at 71 percent in July, and eventually reaching 65 percent in October.

A comparative analysis between October 2022 and October 2023 surveys indicated a substantial decline in Marcos’ approval across various regions. Particularly in Mindanao, his approval plummeted by 26 percentage points, falling from 85 percent to 59 percent.

Vice President Duterte also experienced a dip in her performance rating, witnessing a 10-point decrease from 80 percent in October 2022 to 70 percent in October 2023. Although her rating reached as high as 84 percent in March, by October, her lowest approval ratings were observed in balance Luzon and Metro Manila at 62 percent and 63 percent, respectively (down from 71 percent and 79 percent in October 2022).

Pulse Asia’s “Ulat ng Bayan” survey echoed similar trends, revealing Marcos’ approval dropping from 80 percent in June 2023 to 65 percent in September 2023. Duterte’s approval also declined from 84 percent to 73 percent during the same period.

In terms of trust, Marcos experienced a 14-point decrease from 85 percent to 71 percent, while Duterte’s trust rating dropped from 87 percent to 75 percent.

As of late last year, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) had not released its survey results on public satisfaction with government officials. The most recent available survey from December 2022 indicated that 75 percent of respondents were satisfied with Marcos.

Various polls consistently highlighted inflation as the top concern among Filipinos throughout the year.

The Marcos administration consistently received low approval scores for its efforts to address the rising costs of basic commodities.

According to OCTA surveys, satisfaction with the government’s management of inflation declined from 35 percent in March to a mere 14 percent in October, while dissatisfaction increased from 36 percent to 64 percent.

Among the 24 issues included in the latest survey, the government received approval from less than a majority on eight issues, marking an increase from just two issues in the March survey.

These areas of concern included reducing poverty and hunger, fighting graft and corruption, reducing taxes, controlling population growth, stopping illegal drugs, and ensuring food security.

Notably, providing quality basic and tertiary education and building public infrastructure received the highest approval ratings among the selected issues, albeit experiencing a decrease of around 10 points compared to the March survey.

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