Members of the House of Representatives view the high approval and trust rating for President Rodrigo Duterte as a deep political capital to pursue reforms, improve public service and negotiate strength in peace talks.
“These ratings bode well for the implementation of new laws, programs, and projects we in Congress support with the legislations we push for and our work in the committees,” Agusan del Norte Rep. Lawrence Fortun said.
On the other hand, Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera said “trust ratings quantify the massive political capital President Duterte has and which he is willing to use against the oligarchs who have controlled Filipino lives for far too long.”
“The people see how President Duterte has been reining in the oligarchs and the monopolies, not just in water services but also in telecoms and transport. This is reflected in the high ratings the President got from Luzon and from the ABCD income segments,” she cited.
Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero of 1-Pacman party-list said “President Rodrigo Duterte will continue to enjoy high trust ratings in the next round of the Pulse Asia survey.”
“In the first quarter, when government employees receive their higher salaries, when more people avail of PhilHealth, and when they see the national budget downloaded fast to the agencies and the local governments, President Dutere’s approval factors will rise,” he said.
“Only 21.54 percent of government personnel are in Metro Manila while the rest are distributed across the different regions, so when government workers’ salaries rise the impact is strongly felt in the provinces,” he added.
“Trust in President Duterte is high in the provinces in large part because the regional economies are growing, OFW remittances flow directly to the households there, and daily cost of living in the regions is lower than in Metro Manila,” he said
“President Duterte’s support base has been high among the middle class, growing among the poor, and high in the provinces outside Metro Manila because they are feeling the impact of the administration’s hard work on making the economy inclusive.”
“It shows that while the administration enjoys enormous public support, our people also welcome other views and perspectives that may at times be different from or contrary to those of the administration. This is how a healthy democracy should be,” Fortun said.
“With the peace talks’ confidence-building moves underway, including the Christmas truce, the high approval ratings should be exploited as a political capital to pursue common goals and aspirations for the Filipino people,” he cited.
