Marcos, Duterte, other execs’ satisfaction ratings down

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos’ satisfaction with the performance of the president, vice president, as well as the leaders of Congress and the judiciary all declined in the fourth quarter of 2024, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Wednesday showed.

The survey, conducted from Dec. 12 to 18, 2024, found that 51 percent of adult Filipinos said they were satisfied with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s performance, while 32 percent were dissatisfied and 16 percent were undecided.

This resulted in a net satisfaction rating of +19, which SWS classifies as “moderate.”

This was the lowest net satisfaction rating that the President has received since sitting in office.

Compared to the September 2024 survey, Marcos’ net satisfaction rating fell by 13 points from the “good” +32, his lowest since March 2024 when he received a net rating of +20.

The President’s net satisfaction declined in almost all geographic areas.

It fell by 34 points from “moderate” +16 in Mindanao last September to “poor” -18 in December.

It also declined by 16 points from “good” +36 in Metro Manila to “moderate” +20, and by 13 points in the Visayas from “good” +31 to “moderate” +18.

It remained almost unchanged in Luzon outside Metro Manila, scoring his highest “good” +38 in December from +39 last September.

The net satisfaction rating is the difference between the percentage of satisfied and dissatisfied people.

The SWS considers a rating of +70 and above, “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”; +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; and -70 and below, “execrable.”

Lowest so far

Like the President, Vice President Sara Duterte also received her lowest net satisfaction rating yet.

READ: VP Duterte’s trust rating drops by 10 percent – Octa

The survey showed that 52 percent of Filipinos were satisfied with her performance, while 31 percent were dissatisfied and 16 percent were undecided.

This resulted in a net satisfaction rating of +21, classified as “moderate.”

Compared to the September 2024 survey, Duterte’s net satisfaction rating fell by six points from “moderate” +27.

Satisfaction with the Vice President fell in all areas except the Visayas, where she scored “good” +32 in December from “moderate” +23 in September.

Duterte’s net satisfaction remained the highest in Mindanao but declined four points from “excellent” +71 in September to a “very good” +67 in December.

In Luzon outside of Metro Manila, it fell by 10 points from “moderate” +11 to “neutral” +1. In Metro Manila, it fell by 18 points to “neutral” -3 from “moderate” +15.

Broad decline

Other top officials also saw declines in their satisfaction ratings compared to the previous survey.

The survey showed that 61 percent of Filipinos were satisfied with the performance of Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, while 19 percent were dissatisfied and 17 percent were undecided.

He received a net satisfaction rating of +42, classified as “good.”

Compared to September 2024, Escudero’s net satisfaction decreased by five points from +47.

Speaker Martin Romualdez, on the other hand, received a “neutral” +9 net satisfaction rating—also his lowest yet—with 40 percent satisfied, 31 percent dissatisfied, and 23 percent undecided.

His net rating fell by 11 points from the “moderate” +20 in September 2024.

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo scored a 38-percent satisfaction rating from Filipinos, while 24 percent were unsatisfied and 26 percent were undecided.

Net satisfaction with his performance remained “moderate” at +14, which decreased by nine points from the “moderate” +23 he received in September 2024.

The survey used face-to-face interviews with 2,160 adults nationwide and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2 percent for national percentages, plus-or-minus 3 percent in Luzon outside Metro Manila, and plus-or-minus 5 percent each for Metro Manila, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Same results

In December 2024, a separate survey released by Pulse Asia on the performance and trustworthiness ratings of top government officials also found a decrease in approval and trust ratings for Mr. Marcos, Duterte, Escudero, and Romualdez.

The survey, conducted from Nov. 26 to Dec. 3, 2024, showed that the President’s approval score slightly declined from 50 percent in September 2024 to 48 percent in November 2024, while his trust ratings also went down from 50 percent to 47 percent during the same period.

Duterte, on the other hand, experienced significant decreases in both approval and trust scores.

Her approval score dropped by 10 percentage points to 50 percent from 60 percent, while her trust rating declined by 12 percentage points to 49 percent from 61 percent.

Meanwhile, Escudero’s approval rate went down to 53 percent from 60 percent, while his trust rating also dropped from 56 percent to 51 percent. Romualdez experienced the same decline, with his approval rating dropping to 25 percent from 32 percent and his trust rating to 21 percent from 31 percent.

—INQUIRER RESEARCH

(2025/01/16-05:32)