Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s trust rating is “very good”, according to the result of the survey released yesterday, down slightly from an “excellent” rating in December. Pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS), which has been tracking Duterte’s trust ratings since December 2015, when he signed up for a presidential election he won six months later, did not give a reason for the slightly lower rating.
The March 23-27 survey found 76% of 1,200 adults had “much trust” in Duterte, down from 83% in December. The survey, which focused on personality rather than policy, found 10% of respondents had “little trust” in him, up from 7% in December.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque has said public confidence in Duterte “has remained high notwithstanding matters and concerns the government is handling”. Duterte remains popular despite international criticism, particularly of his bloody anti-narcotics campaign, in which about 4,100 suspected drug users and pushers have been killed by police in what authorities say were shootouts. 
The polling agency differentiates between a rating of trust and one of satisfaction. It says trust gauges public sentiment about a personality while satisfaction is related to an individual’s performance related to his position or duty.