Senate vows integrity amid approval dip

Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Friday said the chamber remains committed to performing its duties “with diligence and integrity” regardless of survey results, despite the drop in the Senate’s public approval rating.

In a Viber message to reporters, Sotto described public opinion polls as merely “snapshots of the past,” emphasizing that they do not define how the Senate fulfills its legislative mandate.

“As always, surveys serve as guides to perceptions in that particular moment. In other words, a snapshot of the past. The Senate will do its work diligently no matter what,” Sotto said.

The recent Pulse Asia survey results revealed that the Senate’s performance approval rating fell by 11 percentage points, from 53 percent in June to 42 percent in September.

Disapproval ratings rose from 18 percent to 28 percent, while the number of undecided respondents slightly increased from 28 percent to 30 percent.

The survey was conducted from 27 to 30 September among 1,200 adult Filipinos and was released amid leadership changes in both chambers of Congress, as well as allegations of irregularities in infrastructure spending involving several lawmakers.

The House of Representatives saw its approval rating fall sharply, dropping 17 points from 47 percent in June to 30 percent in September. Disapproval climbed to 34 percent from 21 percent, while undecided respondents increased to 36 percent from 32 percent.

Despite the dip in numbers, Sotto reaffirmed the Senate’s commitment to upholding its responsibilities.