President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said yesterday that he was undisturbed by a recent Pulse Asia survey showing a decline in his trust rating, and that it should not be taken as the sole measure of public sentiment.
“There are many other surveys. Let’s not base everything on just one,” he told reporters when asked about the lackluster results.
The latest Pulse Asia poll showed Mr. Marcos trailing behind both Vice President Sara Duterte and former President Rodrigo Duterte in trust ratings.
It also pointed to a continuing downward trend in the president’s numbers.
When asked whether he plans to address the decline, the chief executive urged caution in interpreting survey data.
“Know your source,” he said.
“Imperfect information makes you make imperfect decisions. The more perfect your information, the more perfect your decision will be,” Mr. Marcos added.
He pointed out that while Pulse Asia is one source of public opinion, it’s important to understand the context and methodology behind each poll before concluding.
Meanwhile, a member of the House prosecution panel in the upcoming impeachment trial of the Vice President played down the latest Pulse Asia survey, saying public opinion should not dictate the course of a constitutional process.
“About the prosecution, I can’t speak for everyone else, but we have to take it with a grain of salt,” 1-RIDER Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez told the newsmen.
“We all saw the survey results for the senatorial elections. Surprise! No. 2 Sen. [Bam] Aquino, and we also have Sen. [Kiko] Pangilinan among others,” he pointed out.
The Pulse Asia “Pulso ng Bayan” survey, conducted from May 6 to 9 among 1,200 registered voters, found that 50 percent of respondents disagreed with the filing of the impeachment complaint, 28 percent agreed, and 21 percent were undecided.
“Before the elections, I did believe in surveys, but after the election, we saw the results—that’s when we believe otherwise,” Gutierrez said.
Likewise, members of the Makabayan Bloc attributed the supposed unpopularity of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and prosecution to the massive fake news and disinformation campaign orchestrated by Duterte’s machinery.
House outgoing Deputy Minority Leader France Castro and Rep.-elect Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers Party-list called for a concerted effort to counter falsehoods and expose the truth about Duterte’s alleged crimes against the Filipino people.
“The supposed survey result showing that 58 percent of Filipinos disagree with Duterte’s arrest is a glaring example of how disinformation can distort public opinion. This reflects the impact of the widespread propaganda and fake news machinery that has been systematically built to whitewash Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity,” Castro said.
“These surveys do not indicate Duterte’s innocence. Instead, it shows the long-term effects of misinformation and propaganda aimed at deceiving our fellow citizens. We must not let lies prevail,” she added.
