Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin yesterday brushed aside a recent survey showing a slight decline in President Marcos’ ratings, emphasizing that the chief executive would rather focus on leading the country to the best of his abilities instead of bothering with the publicity value of all his decisions.
“True leadership always carries with it the burden to pursue courses of action which are right but may not be popular,” he stressed.
“Public interest is the sole driver behind every executive decision, not the pursuit of high ratings in the next opinion polls. High popularity ratings are the bonus and not the bedrock of effective public service,” Bersamin added.
Pulse Asia’s latest Ulat ng Bayan Survey had shown a decline in the President’s approval rating to 48 percent, down from 50 percent in September, and his trust rating to 47 percent, also down from 50 percent.
The survey, showing a two and three percent decline in Mr. Marcos’ approval and trust ratings respectively, was conducted from November 26 to December 3 on 2,400 respondents.
Bersamin reiterated that effective leadership is grounded in pursuing the public good, even at the cost of popularity.
The Executive Secretary acknowledged the value of surveys as “dipstick readings” of public sentiment but stressed that governance success should be measured by tangible indicators such as employment and economic growth.
“As the President’s actions show, we have remained focused on our critical mission of uplifting lives, growing the economy, and securing our future,” pointed out.
The same survey also showed that Vice President Sara Duterte’s approval rating fell to 50 percent from 60 percent, and her trust rating dropped to 49 percent from 61 percent over the same period.
The Vice President’s approval and trust ratings fell by a much more significant 10 and 12 percent respectively, supposedly due to several issues, including the alleged misuse of confidential funds and death threats she made on the President, his spouse and the House Speaker.
Among the four highest officials in the country—President, Vice President, Senate President, and Speaker of the House—Duterte had the biggest decline.
Pulse Asia President Dr. Ronald Holmes said Duterte’s repeated denial of accusations directed against her did not help raise her public image.
“Her [Duterte] denials do not represent an explanation. Some Filipinos may believe her, but others think that she has a lot of explaining to do,” Holmes told ABS-CBN News in Filipino.
As this developed, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) welcomed the latest survey results, indicating that 57 percent of Filipinos have a positive opinion of the Marcos administration’s efforts in responding to the needs of calamity-hit areas.
Irene Dumlao, the agency’s assistant secretary for disaster response management, attributed the favorable approval rating to their collaboration with national and local government agencies during calamities and disasters.
“As part of the government’s disaster responders, we are immensely grateful for the positive opinion and appreciation given by the public. Rest assured that we embrace your favorable rating not just as a badge of honor, but as a driver to continuously improve our mandate,” Dumlao, also the agency’s spokesperson, said in a statement.
