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The recent SWS survey result showing Duterte’s net satisfaction rating dropping to +46 has caused a major buzz in both pro-Duterte and anti-Duterte camps. The anti-Duterte coalition lead by the Liberal Party has been quick to celebrate the decline saying the Filipino people have finally woken up to the truth. The pro-Duterte camp has been quick to dismiss the drop saying this was expected as ratings for Presidents usually undergo a significant drop after 1 year.
The media has been quick to feed on the flame started by the Liberal party pushing out the message that Duterte is in trouble and that Duterte will soon face a massive revolt. Is this true? Is Duterte in trouble? I personally do not think so for two reasons.
First, his core support is intact and very loyal. Duterte was catapulted into power by Mindanao and Visayas where he still enjoys strong approval/ satisfaction rating. He also got a lot of votes from class ABC and D and the surveys show he still enjoys solid support from these people. Despite all the negative press and demolition propaganda campaigns launched by the Liberal Party opposition, I am surprised to see his net satisfaction rating not be in the single digits. Gloria Arroyo who was the product of a people power revolution and was never accused of all the things Duterte is being accused of had a negative net satisfaction rating for such a long time. The fact that Duterte’s net satisfaction rating is still at this level after all he has been through shows the solid and loyal support he has from the Filipinos.
The second reason why I think Duterte is not in trouble is the fact that this administration has been busy pumping out programs, legislations and projects whose benefits will take a few years to be enjoyed in a massive scale. The massive infrastructure project the government is undertaking will not result in immediate relief in traffic congestion or generate a significant amount of employment in the short run. It takes time for the projects to roll out and only then will the Filipinos actually feel the benefits. The free tuition for State Colleges and Universities is a massive government program that will benefit the poor yet they won’t feel the benefit of this until at least next school year. The administration promised to help Filipino OFWs and it has made good on this promise with numerous programs aimed at helping OFW’s. Then recently the government announced the creation of an OFW bank which is something OFW’s have been asking for but this bank won’t be fully operational until a few years from now.
The support that Duterte has is solid and loyal and as long as he is focused on following what is in his heart, he will not be in trouble. His solid and loyal support plus the massive benefits that Filipinos will feel from Duterte initiatives will ensure his legacy. This is the very nature of surveys – they are a snap shot of what people feel at the time of the interview. This is also what the Liberal Party opposition tries to exploit. They keep on complaining about the here and now. They keep on sensationalizing the death of a drug suspect. They keep on instilling fear in the hearts of Filipinos because they live in the here and now. They want Filipinos to be stuck in a present carefully crafted by the Liberal Party propaganda machinery. They want Filipinos to forget about the hope that Duterte promised and the hope of a better Philippines that he constantly strives for. The future is bright with Duterte but it is through a difficult path made darker by the Liberal party lies.
Let us not forget and let us not waver.
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