President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the 15 percentage-point drop in his approval rating in the recent Pulse Asia survey was “not surprising” given the gut issues, including high prices of basic commodities, that his administration is trying to address.
“People are having a hard time. The rice issue – that is a burden really. It’s a different story when it comes to rice. It’s different from anything else, from any other agricultural product. I completely understand it,” Mr. Marcos said in an interview on the sidelines of a rice distribution program in Taguig City yesterday.
“You can’t blame the people. They are suffering… That’s perfectly natural. It’s not a surprise – let’s put it that way,” he added.
President Marcos said the survey results were not as important as ensuring that people’s plights are addressed.
“That’s why we’re working very, very hard – not because of the survey, that’s not important to me. What’s important to me is that we make sure that people have enough to eat and that it is affordable to them,” he said.
From a high of 80 percent in June, President Marcos’ approval rating dropped by 15 percentage points to 65 percent in September in the latest Pulse Asia survey.
Vice President Sara Z. Duterte’s rating also fell from 84 percent to 73 percent in the same period.
Mr. Marcos’ biggest score loss came from Class E, the country’s poorest sector, where he saw a drop of 29 percentage points.
On the other hand, Duterte’s rating received a huge hit from Class ABC, Pulse Asia said.
The survey firm said the drop in the respective scores of the country’s top leaders might be traced to the continued rise in the prices of basic commodities, such as food and fuel.
The same survey showed elevated inflation remained the top concern of Filipinos, followed by the need to raise the wages of workers for them to cope with the rising prices of goods and services.