All top five government leaders slid in their approval ratings, according to the latest survey conducted by Pulse Asia from 10 to 14 September.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. fell 15 points from 80 in June to 65 this September. Vice President Sara Duterte took an 11-point slide from 84 to 73 in the same time frame.

From 56 in June, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri's rating slid to 50 in September — six points down. Approval of House Speaker Martin Romualdez's also decreased, from 52 to 41, another 11-point slide.

In the judiciary, Supreme Court Justice Alexander Gesmundo's approval rating fell 10 points — now only 34 from 44 in June.

It's no mystery why disappointment ruled sentiments in the last quarter. Gas prices climbed every week; the Chinese incursions had made a grievous comeback in the public consciousness; and the "confidential funds" brouhaha had made its way to meme-dom.

The numbers are not too alarming; some say they are within a range that still shows confidence in our leaders.

Why this is significant at this point lies in one truth we refuse to see: a country will see no substantial progress unless the people respect their leaders.

Think of our situation today — how many presidents do we need to try to "save" us from poverty and inequality? We keep saying the Philippines is rich — and perhaps we are, indeed, in natural resources and a workforce and talent that can rightly compete in any part of the world.

And yet, we go through perennial problems like hunger and unemployment, a weak peso, corruption scandals, and a massive national debt hanging over our heads. It seems nothing will ever change with this cycle of leadership we can never get rid of.

Over the last few decades, we may have learned enough that political feuds among powerful families only slow down the nation. And we may have realized that power struggles continue to diminish our productivity, impeding our forward movement.

Research published in July 2016 focused on political dynasties in the Philippines and said: "Despite overwhelming recognition that political dynasties breed patronage politics and corruption, no substantial steps have been taken to address this issue."

Nothing changed after the so-called People Power Revolution, as the same family names continued dominating Congress. The trend continues till today, election after election, with only the occasional new name rising out of the morass because, perhaps, the voting public could no longer stomach the way power and resources are concentrated on a few.

And even so, after some time, some of these promising new leaders end up as trapped in the dirt as the ones they removed from power. Either they end up playing the game, now so deeply entrenched, or they leave. Only "a few good men" ever make it past a certain political lifespan.

At the same time, we continue to be bogged down by mysteries like why the Philippine General Hospital is getting a zero budget when, obviously, it is the only affordable good hospital that caters to the majority of Filipinos.

We continue to wonder why some agencies are getting hefty funds, some even under wraps, when these could be funneled into so many other things like food sustainability, road improvements, solutions to environmental problems, modernizing the agriculture sector, supporting local inventions, and so on.

The people look up to their leaders for direction and vision. People will follow — and feel the need to pull their weight and contribute to the work — when they see their leaders as upright and having their welfare always in view.

When people feel taken advantage of or taken for granted, they lose faith. Their attitudes change. The country slows to a stop.