Sara ratings now lower than those of Chiz, Romualdez

After falling below the ratings of President Marcos, Vice President Sara Duterte’s latest trust and approval ratings have also settled below those obtained by congressional leaders in the latest survey conducted by the OCTA Research Group.

- JANVIC MATEO

Duterte, who used to have the highest ratings among top officials, has suffered significant declines in her ratings following a series of controversies and issues with the Marcos administration.

In OCTA’s third quarter survey conducted from Sept. 4 to 7, the Vice President obtained a satisfaction rating of 52 percent and a trust rating of 59 percent, down from 60 percent and 65 percent, respectively, based on a similar survey in July.

Marcos now has the highest numbers among the top officials even if his figures have also declined, with 66-percent satisfaction (from 68 percent) and 69-percent trust (from 71 percent).

Senate President Francis Escudero, who assumed office in May, obtained a satisfaction rating of 65 percent and a trust rating of 67 percent.

It was the first time that approval of his performance was measured by OCTA. His trust rating, meanwhile, remained the same as in June.

Speaker Martin Romualdez, who reportedly had a falling out with Duterte last year, obtained a satisfaction rating of 62 percent (from 63 percent) and a trust rating of 61 percent (from 62 percent).

Among the five highest officials, only Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo had lower ratings than Duterte. He obtained a satisfaction rating of 14 percent (from 12 percent) and a trust rating of 15 percent (from 13 percent).

Survey data show that chief justices often receive lower ratings than the other four officials, who are all elected.

Duterte, who ran with Marcos in 2022 under the UniTeam banner, formally broke away from his administration when she resigned as education secretary in June. She criticized Marcos and his family and allies in recent interviews.

The Vice President is also under investigation over her office’s use of confidential funds.

Cracks within the administration were first reported in 2023 when Duterte resigned from Lakas-CMD, the political party headed by Romualdez.