A Pulse survey released Thursday suggested eight out of 10 Filipinos approved of the Duterte administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the government to clamp a lockdown on March 17.
The Sept. 14 to 20 poll found that 84 percent of Filipinos had a “positive opinion about the work done by the Duterte administration to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.”
As of Thursday, the Philippines logged 332,000 infections and 6,069 deaths, according to the latest statistics from the Department of Health.
Some 10 percent of the respondents were neutral on the government’s actions in reining in the pandemic while 6 percent disapproved of their performance, according to the poll results.
The survey coincided with a report that President Rodrigo Duterte garnered a 91-percent approval rating in the middle of the unprecedented crisis.
As the pandemic brought economic activities to a standstill, the Philippine government provided cash aid to low-income families, repatriated migrant workers and businesses to fend off the impact of the crisis, which got a stamp of approval from Filipinos.
Some 92 percent of Filipinos also believed Duterte “has done well in terms of preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the country,” the private pollster said.
Meanwhile, Malacañang is humbled by the results of the Pulse Asia survey, with Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque thanking the public for their continued trust in the administration’s efforts to respond to the prevailing health crisis.
“Philippines, thank you very much for the trust you gave our President. After giving him a 91 percent trust and performance rating, you gave his administration an 84 percent rating for handling the coronavirus-19,” he said.
Roque, meanwhile, vowed that the Duterte administration would continue to work to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in the lives of Filipinos.
“We are humbled and we are further inspired to serve the Filipino people in this time of pandemic and crisis,” he added.
“More specifically, 62 percent of Filipinos truly approve of presidential performance as far as this issue is concerned while 30 percent somewhat approve of the same. The rest of Filipinos either disapprove of the President’s performance (3 percent) or express indecision on the matter (5 percent),” the Pulse Asia said.
Duterte posted huge majority approval ratings across geographic areas and socio-economic classes (87 to 98 percent and 78 to 95 percent, respectively), it added.
On Monday, Roque attributed Duterte’s high performance and trust ratings to his determination to slow down the spread of the virus without politicking.
“I think people don’t like politicking during the pandemic. They can see that the President is doing everything necessary so that fewer Filipinos contract COVID-19,” he said.
