MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte’s approval numbers took a double-digit plunge in the latest survey by pollster Pulse Asia, although they still continue to have majority support.

“[Their numbers are] possibly affected by continuous increase in the cost of rice, gasoline, other basic commodities and services,” Pulse Asia President Ronald Holmes told Rappler on Monday, October 2. 

From 80% back in June, Marcos’ approval score slid by 15 percentage points, resulting in a 65% rating in September.

Duterte’s approval rating dropped to 73% in September, an 11-percentage point drop compared to the 84% score she had in June.

The tumble was felt across all socioeconomic classes and key geographic areas.

For Marcos, the biggest drop in approval – 29 percentage points to be exact – was seen among the country’s poorest, Class E. In Duterte’s case, she lost 18 percentage points among Class ABC.

From June to September, Marcos’ disapproval score increased by an average of six points, while Duterte by an average of three points. The two registered the highest uptick in disapproval rating in the Visayas – Marcos by nine percentage points, Duterte by five percentage points.

Some 25% of respondents were undecided for Marcos; 8% were undecided for Duterte. Pulse Asia saw it as an increase in ambivalence toward their performances in office.

The survey was released on Monday, and conducted from September 10 to 14 among 1,200 respondents. It has a margin of error of ± 2.8%.

Key issues in the run-up to and during the conduct of the survey include the confidential fund fiasco, rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea brought about by China’s efforts to block a Filipino resupply mission in Ayungin Shoal, the rice crisis, inflation, and school opening woes, among others.

Other leaders

Romualdez no longer enjoys the approval of the majority across all geographic locations except in the Visayas. On the average, only 41% of respondents said they approved of his performance in September, compared to his 52% approval score in June.

His approval score saw a 15-percentage-point drop in Mindanao, the bailiwick of Duterte, whom he was rumored to have a rift with earlier this year.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo’s approval score also decreased by 11 points.

Among the country’s five highest officials, only Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s approval score saw a single-digit drop – from 56% in June to 50% in September. – Rappler.com