Midterm high 87%

I think this is a historical high for any President from this stage.

A twin survey of Pulse Asia indicated Filipinos hold a rosy outlook for next year as confidence on President Rodrigo Duterte surged by nine points to a historic high 87 percent in December which was buoyed by the falling poverty rate.

In the poll, the climb in the approval rating of the President was also attributed to the spectacular performance of Filipino athletes in the recent Southeast Asian Games held in the country, according to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III.

Malacañang said “a marked improvement on the performance rating of the President plus a very optimistic population is a clear sign that the Duterte administration is on the right track.”

Dominguez believes that the survey numbers were unprecedented. “If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time ever that, at this point in any administration, that the President has reached this high,” according to Dominguez.

“I think this is a historical high for any President from this stage,” the finance chief added. The approval rating of Mr. Duterte was at 78 percent in September.

A survey on sentiment of Filipinos from the same pollster showed 93 percent, or practically every Filipino, maintained a high level of hope for next year.

The high numbers in both surveys were posted despite the adverse noises generated by opponents of the President.

The outlook survey, conducted on 3 to 8 December, found that almost all respondents will welcome 2020 “with hope.”

The figure was higher than the 91 percent registered in December 2018. Only 0.2 percent of respondents indicated that they will face the New Year “without hope” while seven percent were ambivalent on the matter.

In Luzon outside Metro Manila, the survey indicated his approval climbed 14 points to 83 percent; in the Visayas, it was up nine points to 93 percent and in Mindanao, up six percentage points to 98 percent.

“The results mean that contrary to what critics claim, the President is actually making progress in his promise to uplift the lives of our people,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said.

Nine out of 10 Filipinos facing the New Year with hope and optimism shows that President Rodrigo Duterte is making gains in improving their lives, he assessed.

Nograles made the remark as he welcomed and described the latest result as a vote of confidence for President Duterte’s style of leadership.

“The latest Pulse Asia Survey which shows that 9 in 10 Filipinos are optimistic for a more prosperous life next year is a vote of confidence for President Duterte’s leadership. It is solid and undeniable proof that an overwhelming majority of our people approve and support the Duterte administration’s programs and policies. It is a testament of our people’s continuing trust on President Duterte’s governance,” Nograles said.

Only in the National Capital Region did the President’s approval rating declined by two percentage points to 78 percent.

Rating among urban respondents jumped 16 points to 89 percent while his rural rating was up three points to 86 percent.

Across social classes, the President’s approval rating rose 14 percentage points to 89 percent in the “ABC” class; up 10 points to 88 percent in “D” class and a constant 84 percent among the “E” class.

Duterte remained popular to both males, 87 percent up two points and females, 86 percent up 16 points, the Pulse Asia survey showed.

Dominguez noted the good performance of Filipino athletes during the recently concluded 30th SEA Games — where the Philippines amassed the most gold medals to snatch the overall championship among 11 participating countries — would further boost Duterte’s approval ratings.

Both surveys were held amid the dismissal of Vice President Leni Robredo as co-chairman of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) on 24 November, according to the survey firm.

The high level of confidence has been notable in Metro Manila (95 percent from 92 percent), Visayas (98 percent from 88 percent), Mindanao (95 percent from 89 percent) and Class E (91 percent from 76 percent).

Optimism was highest in Class E (93 percent), but fell in Balance Luzon (90 percent from 93 percent) and Class ABC (97 percent from 99 percent).

The survey, however, noted that 48 percent of respondents or a little less than majority are expectant of being more prosperous during the holidays compared to a year ago.

The poll was conducted when the country was hit by calamities including “Tisoy,” which was the strongest typhoon of the year and a series of powerful earthquakes in Mindanao.

Only 11 percent believed that they will celebrate this year’s Christmas “poorer” than last year while 41 percent thought it will just be “the same as last year.”

Those who expected a more prosperous Christmas this year came mostly from Manila (48 percent from 41 percent), Balance Luzon (48 percent from 47 percent), Mindanao (57 percent from 46 percent) and Class ABC (68 percent from 65 percent).

Pulse Asia interviewed 1,200 adult Filipinos for the survey using an error margin of ±2.8 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

This optimism was offset by a 25-point drop in positive expectations in the Visayas to 38 percent while the views of those in Luzon remained broadly steady. Half of Visayans see the 2019 Christmas celebration to be the same as last year, while a tenth say they are poorer this 2019.

Across income groups, 68 percent of those under class ABC said the holidays will be more prosperous this year, while only a third of the poorest residents see a better Christmas in 2019.