President Rodrigo Roa Duterte received an unsolicited
encouragement from a former President of the republic- Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The recent SWS survey conducted from September 23-27, 2017
saw the net satisfaction of President
Duterte dropped to a ‘good” 48 from a “very good” 66.
 |
| President Rodrigo Duterte speaks with former President and incumbent Pampanga 2nd district representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during the launching of the Philippine Red Cross' M/V Amazing Grace at the Philippine Navy Headquarters ( Photo from the Presidential Communications) |
Many interpretations have been made public from the very
active opposition saying that this is
the end of the Honeymoon period for the president, and that the people now are
seeing how incompetent and what he truly is- which is all in the negative from their
perspective. For Malacañan, the
response was “The Honeymoon is over, but the love is
still there.”. The survey showed what was glaring and that was the first ever
double-digit drop in his satisfaction and trust ratings, while the president
has been quoted a couple of times that he is no longer playing the popularity
games since he is not up for another re-election. *
Former president and now Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
(GMA) said she’s done worse, rating wise
,compared to the incumbent president.
"During my term, I too suffered even more serious
problems with my ratings, precipitated by the same kind of vicious opposition
now working to bring down President Duterte," she said in a statement.
"I responded by focusing instead on performance,
performance, performance. It was my intention to leave a real legacy of
achievement, because it was only the judgment of history that mattered to
me," said the Pampanga representative
Based on data from the same polling body, Arroyo's average
net satisfaction rating for her 9 years in office was -9. Her lowest was -53 in
March 2010, while the highest was +30 in March 2004.
According to SWS President Mahar Mangahas, Arroyo did not have
any honeymoon period, unlike the other presidents since former dictator
Ferdinand Marcos' ouster from power.
GMA ascended to the presidency in 2001 after former
President Joseph Estrada stepped down following calls for his resignation
regarding allegations he received millions in kickback from illegal numbers
game, Jueteng. She was elected for another term in 2004 but faced accusations
of poll rigging.
For Arroyo, the ratings plunge was but a blip and should
not worry Duterte that much. *
"After a whole year of stratospheric ratings, the
President should not be unduly worried by the drop in his ratings for the 3rd
quarter of the year. This is a blip, especially because the survey was taken at
the height of the controversy over so-called EJK's in the war against
drugs," she said.
GMA explains that the rise and drop in a president’s
approval ratings are “bound to happen in the course of his/her term.”
"It is part of the territory. It reflects the pulse of
the people at a particular time. A drop though does not mean erosion of public
support but merely a sentiment on particular policies," she said.
Arroyo reminded Duterte that "the job of a president
is not to make popular decisions" but to "make decisions for the
greater good though unpopular."
"I had to endure this process myself when I made tough
and unpopular decisions that ultimately redounded to the common good," she
said.
Duterte, she added, has started several
"historic" initiatives, which will comprise his "real legacy."
Arroyo cited Duterte's initiatives on comprehensive tax
reform, infrastructure build-out, Charter change, and securing and rebuilding
Marawi city.
"All of them can produce major changes early enough to
improve his ratings by early next year," she said. *
Report from ABS-CBN website
0 comments