Majority of Filipinos expressed trust in President Duterte amid the spate of drug-related killings in various parts of the country under his administration, based on the latest Pulse Asia survey results released on Wednesday.
In the nationwide survey conducted among 1,200 respondents last July 2-8, President Duterte begins his stint as the country’s 16th president with an overwhelming majority of Filipinos expressing trust in him (91 percent) and practically no one distrusting him (0.2 percent).
The rest of Filipinos (8 percent) cannot say if they trust or distrust President Duterte.
Meanwhile, Vice President Leni Robredo is trusted by 62 percent of Filipinos, 11 percent have distrust in her, and 27 percent are undecided on the matter.
Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno is trusted by only 35 percent of Filipinos and 19 percent distrust her. More Filipinos expressed indecision on either trusting or distrusting the Chief Justice with 42 percent.
In the same survey period, Filipinos were asked to indicate their top concerns in a list of issues which should be addressed by the Duterte administration in its first six months.
For most Filipinos, the new administration must prioritize three economic issues, namely controlling increases in prices (68 percent), creating employment opportunities (56 percent), and crafting new pro-poor programs (55 percent).
Forty-eight percent would like the Duterte administration to immediately address the problem of criminality in the country.
Meanwhile, 23 percent would like the new administration to grant loans to small entrepreneurs and the self-employed, 17 percent would like the preparation of a program addressing the government’s debt problem, and also 17 percent expressed continued pursuit of peace negotiations with different armed groups.
Less than one in 10 Filipinos says the current dispensation should give priority to efforts to forge a government of national unity (9 percent) and to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution (7 percent).
Majority of Filipinos in Metro Manila (54 to 60 percent), Visayas (56 to 70 percent), upper-to-middle Class ABC (55 to 61 percent), and Class D or “masa” (57 to 69 percent) indicated that the new administration should immediately take steps to control inflation, generate employment, and create new pro-poor programs.
Most Filipinos in Metro Manila (54 percent) would also like the Duterte administration to prioritize the issue of criminality.
In the rest of Luzon, 61 percent to 70 percent said the national administration must give priority to controlling inflation and generating employment.
Among those in Mindanao, the majority responses are controlling inflation (70 percent), creating new pro-poor programs (59 percent), and reducing criminality (51 percent).
In the poorest Class E, the only issue cited by majority of Filipinos is inflation (70 percent). (ELLALYN DE VERA)