Damaged goods?

YESTERDAY I got a press release from House Majority Leader Jose «Mannix» Dalipe, quoting the survey results from Stratbase Inc., showing Vice President Sara Duterte's trust rating plummeting from 45 percent in July to just 29 percent in September, or a decline of 16 percent.

Dalipe theorized this could be attributed to her continued refusal or failure to address concerns of alleged abuse and misuse of public funds.

While I still have to get hold of a copy of the actual survey results as it is not yet available online, googling a bit, I ran across some news stories last week showing Pulse Asia's own survey, which showed the vice president also suffering a drastic decline of 9 to 10 percent in approval and trust ratings, albeit the same survey showed Sara still enjoying a 60 percent trust rating. It is interesting to note, however, that the survey was conducted before the arrest of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and her repeated snub of the House hearings.

Anyway, Dalipe provided some details on the survey, saying Duterte's most significant drop in trust ratings was recorded in Luzon, where her trust rating fell by a staggering 25 percent, from 36 percent in June to just 11 percent in September.

This was followed by a 21 percent decline in the National Capital Region, where her trust rating dropped to 13 percent from 34 percent.

A 15 percent decline was also observed in the Visayas. She, however, rebounded in Mindanao, where her trust rating rose slightly by 4 points.

Dalipe further said that Duterte's trust rating took a hit across both urban and rural areas. In urban areas, her trust rating dropped by 21 percent, while rural areas showed an 11 percent decline.

The congressman adds the decline in trust ratings was felt across all socioeconomic classes, with the largest drop recorded among the upper to middle class (classes ABC), where her trust rating fell by 26 percent. Class D registered a 15 percent drop, while Class E saw a 9 percent decrease.

«This erosion of trust among the upper and middle classes is especially alarming, as these groups typically have a significant impact on public opinion,» Dalipe observed.

Ironically, Dalipe said the survey also