Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte continued to enjoy a high satisfaction rating of 75 percent among Filipinos surveyed last month, according to an opinion poll released Monday, highlighting his continuing popularity despite global criticism of his anti-drugs campaign.
The March 25-28 survey by Social Weather Stations showed the rating for Duterte, who assumed office in June last year, was nearly on par with the outcome of the previous survey in December when 77 percent of Filipino respondents backed him.
The pollster again classified the rating as “very good,” second to the highest level of “excellent.”
According to the survey, 12 percent of the 1,500 respondents were dissatisfied, while another 12 percent were undecided.
Support for the Philippine leader, known for his expletive-laden rants directed at critics of his war against illegal drugs, was the highest in his home island of Mindanao in the south, while his satisfaction rating was also high in the capital Manila.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement that the high ratings have inspired the Duterte administration to continue its campaign against drugs, criminality and corruption.
The 72-year-old leader was elected last May by 16.6 million Filipinos, roughly a third of those who voted, based on his campaign platform of curbing criminality including illegal drugs.
Ramon Casiple, an analyst of the Manila-based Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, told Kyodo News that Duterte’s satisfaction rating remains high despite criticism of his administration because people believe he is “keeping to his promise of change” in the country.
Source: Kyodo Image: Wikimedia
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