FOR political stratest Malou Tiquia, early politicking is the reason for the decline in the approval and trust ratings of President Bongbong Marcos, Speaker Martin Romualdez, and several other top officials of the government in the first quarter of the year based on the survey statement by Publicus Asia Inc.
Tiquia listed factors that contributed to the decline in their ratings.
‘’There were revelations in the budget, and revelations in the People’s Initiative. There were standoffs in the Senate and in the House, and people were just surprised, what was happening. So, I think the statement from the first quarter clearly says to stop it, we do not approve of what you’re doing, and people’s trust in you is diminishing,’’ according to Tiquia.
Tiquia also likened the plummeting rating of PBBM to a sinking boat.
“If you compare that to what was obtained after the election. Right after the election, the President is like sinking into a quicksand—the kind of sinking in the sense that you’re going under. You need a lifebuoy to lift you up again,’’ she said.
According to the survey, even in the president’s stronghold, his approval and trust ratings have also dropped.
Primarily affecting the performance of the president and other officials is their job performance.
‘’You’ll see with PBBM, 92% is job related and the non-job related is only 8%. Meaning, the public is not pleased with his job performance,’’ she added.
As for Vice President Sara Duterte, a significant factor in being recognized as ‘most trusted government official’ is the support from Mindanao despite the various propaganda campaigns against her.
‘’Yes, she went down in all geographical areas, but in Mindanao, just like her father. She remains prominent with 75% support for her. So you’ll see the base of VP Inday doesn’t melt, it holds. Actually, that’s why she remains prominent,’’ Tiquia said.
When it comes to house Speaker Martin Romualdez, Tiquia explained why his approval and trust ratings are still lagging.
‘’The Speaker is in political mode 24/7, if possible, 24/8. It’s all political for him. Whether what he’s doing is helping, people see that the help we’ll accept it, but it’s politics. Just imagine holding press conferences almost every day in the House of Representatives. That’s only happening now in the entire history of the House of Representatives,’’ she said.
In the said survey, Romualdez only received 25% approval and 18% trust ratings.
