DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 18 Jan) – President Rodrigo R. Duterte obtained a very high approval rating of 83 percent from among the Dabawenyos, with his controversial war on drugs the most liked among his programs, a survey conducted by the University of Mindanao’s Institute of Popular Opinion showed.
Conducted on 1,200 respondents from December 3 to 10, 2016, the survey covered all three districts of the city and obtained the public’s views on Duterte’s controversial policies, declarations, and statements.
The Duterte administration’s war on drugs obtained the highest approval rating at 99 percent, followed by the nationwide liquor ban at 98 percent, nationwide anti-smoking ban at 97 percent, end of contract policy at 95 percent, and birth control policy at 94 percent.
However, the survey showed that the President’s apology after the burial of the late strongman and former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani obtained the lowest approval rating at 24 percent.
UM-IPO director for quantitative studies Adrian Tamayo told a press conference on Wednesday that Dabawenyos approved of Marcos’s burial last November 18, 2016 and felt it “was the right thing to do.” But the President saying sorry after it apparently did not sit well with them.
“Very few Dabawenyos support the President when he said sorry for allowing Marcos to be buried at the LNMB, an indication that they supported the declaration of President Duterte to bury Marcos, and saying sorry is unnecessary,” the study stated.
The study added that the low ratings of the Marcos burial came from the students.
Tamayo believed that the high approval rating of Duterte in Davao City, where he was mayor for 22 years, stemmed from their experience how the President, who rose into the presidency after winning the May 2016 elections, governed the city for the past two decades.
Other policies where the President obtained a very high rating included the naming of government officials in illegal drugs (93 percent), amnesty to political prisoners (90 percent), peace negotiation with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (89 percent), and federalism, opening business to foreigners, and faster internet tied at 88 percent. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
