The trust rating of Vice President Sara Duterte saw a significant decline in the Pulse Asia survey for September 2024, dropping 10 points from 71 to 61 since June 2024. Her approval rating also fell by 9 points, from 69 to 60.

Similarly, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s trust and approval ratings decreased to 50 points, down from 52 and 53, respectively.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders also faced a decline in their numbers as House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s approval rating went down by three points from 35 in June to 32 in September. His trust rating also dipped by four points from 35 to 31.

Senate President Chiz Escudero received a 60-point approval rating. On the other hand, his trust rating went from 69 to 56, a 13-point decline.

In the survey, the most noticeable numbers were Duterte’s as her distrust rating in the National Capital Region increased by 20 points from 16 to 36, while her trust rating tumbled from 66 to 37 points.

With Classes ABC, Marcos’ disapproval rating went up by 17 points from 14 to 31, while his approval numbers went down from 49 to 35.

The Pulse Asia September 2024 Nationwide Survey on the Performance and Trustworthiness of the Top National Government Officials was conducted from 6 to 13 September with a sample size of 2,400 adult respondents aged 18 years old and above. It had a ± 2-percent margin of error at a 95-percent confidence level.

Among the developments in the weeks leading up to the survey were the arrest of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy on child sex trafficking charges; the hearings at the Senate and House of Representatives on Alice Guo and Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators; and the continuing tension between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea.

Also in the news were congressional hearings on the budget of the Office of the Vice President, the House’s investigation into the “war on drugs” of the previous administration, and the rising cases of mpox.

In addition, the food poverty threshold as defined by the National Economic and Development Authority and the decline in the inflation rate from 4.4 percent to 3.3 in August were also hot topics.