MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (pic) is unbothered by the drop in his trust and approval ratings in the latest survey by Pulse Asia Research, a Palace official said on Monday (April 21).
In a briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro also suspected that the opinions of the respondents may have been influenced by fake news.
“The president is not concerned about any survey ratings. The president, regardless of the rating — whether high or low — will continue doing his job. He will not be stopped by any survey,” Castro said in Filipino.
“The 2,400 respondents do not reflect the sentiment of the more than 100 million Filipinos in the country. If these people did give their opinions, it was perhaps a result of fake news,” she added.
Asked whether the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte last March 11 may have affected the survey conducted more than a week later, Castro replied: “This is something the administration will still look into.”
During a Cabinet meeting held the same day, Castro said that Marcos ordered intensified efforts against the spread of deceptive information.
“Fake news can derail the mindset of the public, which is why action is now being taken,” Castro said.
Based on a Pulse survey conducted from March 23 to March 29, Marcos’ public approval ratings fell by 17 percentage points, from 42 per cent in February to 25 per cent in March.
The president’s disapproval ratings, meanwhile, went up by 21 points, from 32 per cent to 53 per cent. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
