While past presidents had trysts with the Filipino nation, Rody seems to have struck the chord for Filipinos to fall in love with him.

The unorthodox Duterte leadership style was among the factors that carried him to a landslide victory in the 2016 elections.

His rivals to the presidency then dismissed him as a poor contender and used his abrasive and rough statements to pull him down.

The opposite happened, now midway through his term the straight-talking President had his popularity rating hitting record highs.

The same devil-may-care character to serve the nation also endeared him to the public.

The recent Pulse Asia survey showed that Duterte garnered an 87 percent approval rating in December 2019 which leapt from 78 percent in September.

The economy’s strong march towards inclusivity with the poverty rate dropping to 16.6 percent from the 24 percent to 25 percent level during the term of former President Noynoy Aquino was a key factor for the unprecedented rating.

The final half of a presidential term is termed as the lameduck years when usually the public appeal of the incumbent loses luster not so with Rody who appears to be generating more support as the years pass by.

Those close to the President said his sincere concern for the Filipinos’ welfare makes him the effective leader as he is.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the survey result was a testament to the Duterte administration’s efficiency and commitment towards serving the Filipinos.

The steps he took to resolve controversies that face his administration also helped to boost public confidence on him.

The survey was taken during the period when Vice-President Maria Leonor Robredo was dismissed as co-chairman of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs for prematurely meeting with drug experts from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Rody was apprehensive that she may have divulged sensitive security matters since she is a “scatterbrain.”

In response to her sacking, Robredo said she will still make public her recommendations concerning the anti-illegal drugs campaign that she had failed to do until now.

Another positive factor was the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in which the Philippines ran away with an unforseen 149 gold medals for the overall championship that saw a lot of new sports heroes.

It was also the period when Rody initiated moves to check the excesses of the water concessionaires after refusing to pay Manila Water and Maynilad nearly P11 billion awarded to them by the Singapore-based Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Rody said the court decision was based on “onerous” deals signed under the administration of former President Fidel Ramos.

Instead, the President threatened to sue the water concessionaires for economic sabotage and ordered the drafting of new contracts that would be acceptable to the government and beneficial to the public.

What kept the confidence of Filipinos in him was his unsullied efforts to rid the country of drug addiction and crime regardless of the unending criticisms from his detractors on the methods he took.

“Despite the relentless attacks from the opposition and critics, we will continue to strive to provide better services to all the Filipinos, for us to achieve overall development and success,” Andanar capsulized Rody’s thrust in the final years of his term.

While past presidents had trysts with the Filipino nation, Rody seems to have struck the chord for Filipinos to fall in love with him.